The national rail pass comes into effect this Tuesday (1 August) and allows you to travel on regional trains for a monthly fee of 49 euros. ECO have outlined some of the features of this new pass.


What is the National Rail Pass?

The pass, which came from a proposal by Livre, is part of a measure included in the State Budget for 2023 and will work like any other pass. With a monthly top-up of 49 euros, the user will be able to use all regional trains nationwide, being able to travel without limits and without time restrictions.

To use the new pass, all you have to do is hold a CP Client card.


Which trains can I travel on?

With the new pass, you can travel on any Regional service train and on any route. However, this is not valid on any other service, such as the Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, InterRegional, Internacional and Urban services in Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra.

The pass will allow you to use any regional train regardless of origin or destination. However, there are areas of the country that are excluded from the pass, such as the Alentejo Litoral and the Coimbra area.

Among the sections excluded are the routes Régua-Pocinho (Douro Line), Coimbra-Figueira da Foz (suburban Coimbra), Pinhal Novo-Évora and Pinhal Novo-Vila Nova da Baronia (Alentejo Line), Pinhal Novo-Tunes (Southern Line).


How to buy the pass?

To buy the rail pass, just go to the physical CP ticket offices, and it is available from the 21st of the previous month until the 20th of the desired month. As such, you can already load the rail pass for the month of August 2023 – the first month of validity – since the past 21st of July.

Additionally, payment of the difference in value for another train of a different category is not allowed, in addition to the fact that the ticket does not accumulate with other discounts, such as the “Young”, “4-18”, “Under-23” discount, or others.

To have the National pass, you must have a CP Client card, which can be requested at the ticket offices with the presentation of the following documents: Official identification document (Citizen Card, Identity Card, Driving license or Passport); a current (original) passport-type color photograph; CP Card Request Template. The cost of the normal card is still 6 euros.


Is the pass refundable?

Yes, the rail pass is refundable. To request a refund at a ticket office, you must make the request before the validity period begins, in addition to paying a fee of 20% of the value of the same, in the amount of 9.80 euros. To request a refund, you must also present the CP card used for top-up, as well as the original top-up receipt or invoice.

After the start of the validity of the pass, it is not possible to request a refund, so it can only be exchanged until 00:00 on the first day of validity.