Imagine life somewhere with a functional rail network legislators provide the necessary support and funding. How should that be? Now add to that dream, free train rides in an attempt to combat the rising cost of living. What if I told you this isn’t a fantasy land, it’s just Spain?
Lawmakers in Spain have set aside more than $200 million to offer travelers around the country free train rides through the end of the year. Based on New York TimesRail passengers in Spain will be able to make free journeys of up to 186 miles until the end of 2022. The Times report:
“Under the initiative, starting on Thursday, passengers – both residents and tourists – will be eligible for free rides on local trains and mid-range routes between cities. According to Reuters.
“There are early signs that the initiative is already popular with riders. Raquel Sánchez, Spain’s minister in charge of transport, mobility and urban programs, said nearly 100,000 people used the free admission ticket in Madrid on Thursday morning, 50% more than ‘entered in’ a day like today’ in 2019.”
This initiative is being touted by the government as a means to tackle cost of living crisis and rampant inflation domestic. In Spain, inflation hit 10.8% in July, which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has blamed on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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Recommend following a similar budget-friendly approach to train travel taken by Germany. In June, German travelers can buy unlimited rail passes every month for less than $10. The ticket to the experiment was dubbed a huge success by the country’s lawmakers. A post-trial study also showed that the initiative cut CO2 emissions are nearly 2 million tons.
Now, you might be wondering when the US will get its own similar plan. But, sadly, you can wait a while any such support to our train network.
In fact, the $221.6 million Spain spent on providing free tickets was almost 10 times more than the investment made by US lawmakers. high-speed rail development in California. Now, tell me again why America is said to be the greatest country on Earth?
