European Commission Gives 40,000 Young Adults Train Tickets

BRUSSELS, Jan 7 (Bernama-dpa) -- The European Commission has given away around 40,000 train tickets for free travel around Europe to young adults who celebrated their 18th birthday last year, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The 40th anniversary of the Schengen free-travel area last year served as a special occasion for the distribution of the tickets, the commission announced in Brussels on Wednesday.

Those selected can travel across Europe for up to 30 days. The possible travel period extends from March 2026 to May 2027.

On top of that, there is a discount card for other public transport, as well as cultural, accommodation and other offers in 36 European countries.

The programme started in 2018 and gives away thousands of tickets twice a year.

The Schengen free-travel areas is a region in Europe where people can move across borders without routine passport checks. 

The 40th anniversary of Schengen is symbolic for free travel across Europe, so giving young adults free train tickets celebrates that freedom of movement. 

Schengen is a “passport-free” zone within Europe, but it doesn’t cover the entire continent or even all European Union (EU) countries. 

--BERNAMA-dpa