The 20-Euro Green Rail Pass Is Now Law for Lisbon and Porto Commuter Trains and Fertagus From Saturday, but CP Still Has to Switch It On

The legal obstacle to using the 20-euro Passe Ferroviário Verde (Green Rail Pass) on Lisbon and Porto commuter trains is gone. The decree extending the pass to CP's urban services, and to the private concession that runs trains across the Ponte 25 de Abril, was published in the Diário da República (the official gazette) on Friday 25 September and enters into force on Saturday 26 September.

President António José Seguro promulgated it on Friday, and the Prime Minister countersigned it the same day. The Council of Ministers had approved it on 17 September.

What the decree does not do is set a date when commuters can actually buy and use the pass on those trains. It leaves that to CP, Comboios de Portugal (Portuguese Railways), which "defines the rules of use" of the pass, "implements it and sells it". Until CP publishes those rules, the practical start date remains CP's to announce.

What changes in the law

Decreto-Lei n.º 195-A/2026 (Decree-Law 195-A/2026) is the first amendment to the 2024 decree that created the pass. It makes four changes.

• Urban services are added. The list of CP services on which the pass is valid now includes "serviços urbanos", the suburban networks around Lisbon and Porto.
• The cross-Tagus concession is added. The pass now also applies "within the concession of the passenger rail service on the north-south axis of the Lisbon region", the line Fertagus runs between Lisbon and Setúbal over the bridge.
• Future operators are covered. Any new operator that signs a public-service rail contract with the State must accept the pass on the same terms as CP and Fertagus.
• A monitoring duty is created. Operators and transport authorities must hand over the data needed to track how the measure is used and what it costs.

The price does not change. The decree restates it as 20 euros a month including VAT, adds that it cannot be combined with other discounts, and says the operators will split the revenue between them by agreement. The State pays the rest through compensation under CP's public-service contract and under the Fertagus concession.

The Alfa Pendular stays out. The decree's preamble says the pass should cover "all passenger rail services, with the exception of the Alfa Pendular".

Why the government says it was needed

The preamble is blunt about the gap it is closing. Until now the pass was valid in the Lisbon and Porto areas only on stretches of line not covered by the metropolitan passes, Navegante in Lisbon and Andante in Porto. A commuter coming from outside a metropolitan area into Lisbon or Porto had to buy two tickets for one journey.

That, the government writes, raised monthly costs and penalised "precisely the users who make longer commuting journeys", the people it most wants to move out of their cars. Its stated aim is a pass that works as "a true national rail ticket, simpler, more accessible".

The decree also records that the Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (Mobility and Transport Authority, AMT) was consulted and issued an opinion on 15 September. It says the regulator's "determinations and recommendations" must be taken into account by the bodies carrying out the measure. The opinion itself is not reproduced in the gazette.

How we got here

The extension has slipped more than once. In August the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, promised it "in principle" for September, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing then named European Mobility Week, 16 to 22 September, as the target. That week passed with the decree still awaiting promulgation, and ministers had since spoken of October, with Fertagus possibly later.

With the decree in force from Saturday, the legal basis now covers both CP's urban trains and Fertagus at the same moment. Whether the two operators switch it on together is now an operational question, not a legislative one.

What this means for commuters

• If you commute only by train on the Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja or Sado lines, or on Porto's suburban network, the 20-euro pass should become an alternative to your metropolitan pass once CP opens sales. Compare the two: the Green Rail Pass covers trains only, not the metro, buses or ferries.
• If you travel in from outside Lisbon or Porto, for example from the Oeste, the Ribatejo or the Minho, this is the change that matters most: one 20-euro pass should now cover the whole rail journey, including the last urban stretch.
• If you use Fertagus across the bridge, the law now includes you too. The decree leaves CP and Fertagus to agree between them how each 20 euros is shared out.
• Keep your current pass until CP confirms. Do not let a Navegante or Andante pass lapse on the strength of the decree alone. Watch CP's website and the gov.pt app, where the pass already lives in digital form, for the start date and the rules of use.

Our August report on the announcement explains how the pass works on the Regional and Intercidades services it already covers.

Source: Decreto-Lei n.º 195-A/2026, Diário da República, 1.ª série, n.º 187 (Suplemento) of 25 September 2026, amending Decreto-Lei n.º 73/2024 of 18 October.