It is now possible to travel by train for €20, for 30 days, in various CP – Comboios de Portugal services. The rail card may be acquired at the CP ticket shops or in the new automatic sales machines, located in Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML).

The Passe Ferroviário Verde

The Green Railway Card, when translated, literally, into English, may be used through the regular Cartão CP, being only necessary to update some dates to the card, at ticket shops or at the automatic machines spread through AML.

This railway pass may be charged every day of the month, being valid for 30 days, counting from the day of payment. There are three payment methods available, besides the €20 for 30 days of use. Passengers may extend the validity of the ticket by paying €40 or €60, to extend the pass for 60 or 90 days, respectively.

For those who do not have the Cartão CP, it is possible to receive one at the CP ticket shops. Passengers need to present their ID card, and a passport photo, and then fill in a form given by CP, which can also be found online, allowing passengers to save time at the ticket shop. The card can only be used by Portuguese, or foreign citizens living in Portugal, and costs €6, for the general population. Students and older people will only pay €3. The client will receive the card in 10 days, and it may be picked up at a preferable CP ticket shop, or it may be sent by mail. In case of urgency, the Cartão CP may be sent in 24 hours, however, it is only possible to find this service at Estação Santa Apolónia, in Lisbon. In this case, the card will cost €12.

Where can I travel?

The Passe Ferroviário Verde includes trips in Intercidades (touristic class), Regionais and InterRegionais (touristic class), and also the Coimbra, Lisboa and Porto Comboios Urbanos.

When travelling by Intercidades, it is mandatory to book a place on the train a maximum of 24 hours in advance. The tickets may be booked at the CP ticket shops, or the automatic sales machines at AML, however, it is still possible to make the reservation online, through the CP website, or the mobile app. When it comes to Intercidades, it is possible to schedule two trips a day, with no additional costs. It is also possible to cancel the reservation of a trip in Intercidades, however, the trips may not be rescheduled to a different day and schedule. Passengers must cancel a trip and schedule it for another day with a maximum of 15 minutes before the reserved trip, only in the Intercidades case.

It is possible to travel on the Coimbra Urbanos trains, however, in the Urbanos trains of Lisbon and Porto, the trips that are covered by the new pass are the ones that are not covered by the Navegante or Andante card, respectively. This means that in Lisbon, the CP card allows travelling between Carregado and Azambuja. In Porto's case, the Passe Ferróviario Verde allows travelling between Vila das Aves and Guimarães; Paredes and Marco de Canaveses; Paramos and Aveiro and Lousado and Braga.

To travel in any Regionais or InterRegionais service, all passengers have to do is make sure that the Passe Ferroviário Verde is valid, after that it is possible to travel around the country in any of these trains, anytime and any day for €20 a month.

Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos