The important point is not with rails, but with local public transport (s-bahn, metro, buses, streetcars, ...), and that the tariff zones are basically eliminat

The important point is not with rails, but with local public transport (s-bahn, metro, buses, streetcars, ...), and that the tariff zones are basically eliminated with that. iE in hamburg where I live, a monthly subscription costs around 120+€ per month, assuming you only need the "center" of the city area. If you live a bit more outside, or even in some adjacent village, you have to pay for every single tariff zone you pass through, this can _multiply_ the original costs. so this is a massive financial benefit for everyone who doesn't want to commute by car (gas is getting expensive, parking spots can cost 100€+ per month near work, ...). yes, sometimes it takes significantly longer to commute, but financially it totally makes sense now to NOT use a car for that. Having the option to travel by train into more distant targets for free is a cherry ontop of that. even better: you can use public transport in your destination city for free now! but for me, the single biggest benefit now is to not having to deal with these tariff zones at all, they are a huge mental energy drain. Would pay double the price just for the convenience of not having to think about this.