The Government has detailed in the project of the General State Budgets (PGE) the amount that will be allocated to transport bonuses in 2023, the year in which it plans to extend the gratuity of the Cercanías and Media Distancia trains. In order to pay for these services, the amount allocated to transport subsidies will grow by 25.7% compared to 2022, to 3,419 million.
Maintaining the free nature of some Renfe season tickets for frequent travellers, a measure that came into force on September 1, will cost 660 million euros next year, according to the forecasts of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez. The budget project presented today in Congress also includes a subsidy of 3.6 million euros to compensate Renfe for the creation of the new 50% subsidized multi-trip ticket for Avant trains and some AVE lines.
Renfe will also receive 1,009 million as compensation for the public service obligations it assumes. In addition, another 301 million are added to compensate for the commuter and medium-distance public service obligations provided in Catalonia in 2021 that were transferred to the autonomous community from January 1, 2010.
In urban and metropolitan transport, during 2023 the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Authority (109 million euros), the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (48 million euros), the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium (127 million euros) will receive aid. and the Valencia Metropolitan Transport Authority (38 million euros). On the other hand, the State will allocate 825 million to bonuses for maritime and air transport for residents of the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.
With the increase in the budget for transport subsidies, the Government intends that public transport gain share compared to the car in order to decarbonize the economy and, at the same time, reduce energy dependence on Russia and its fossil fuels.
