UK And Switzerland Open Way For Direct Rail Link

2025-05-10 02:08:40

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The UK and Swiss governments have outlined plans to encourage train companies to launch direct services between London and Switzerland, in an attempt to tap into booming demand for long-distance rail travel in Europe. This content was published on May 10, 2025 - 10:26 4 minutes Philip Georgiadis in London and Mercedes Ruehl in Zurich, Financial Times

The two governments on Friday announced a memorandum of understanding to“lay the groundwork for future commercial services”, linking the two countries through the Channel Tunnel rail link.

A direct service would aim to appeal to both business and leisure travellers and would cut the journey time from London to Geneva to about five hours, according to people in the industry. At the moment, the same journey takes about 7.5 hours by train with a transfer in Paris. A flight to Geneva from London takes about one hour and 40 minutes.

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A direct rail service would present logistical challenges because of the need to build border infrastructure at Swiss stations and for any new operator to buy trains compatible with the Channel Tunnel's stringent safety rules. The governments said they would explore ways to overcome such barriers.

One option being explored is to build temporary“modular” border controls and security screening in the Swiss stations as this would keep costs down, one person involved said.

Demand for long-distance intercity rail travel in Europe has boomed since the coronavirus pandemic, in part because of passengers' environmental concerns around flying, according to industry executives.

More More Could a direct high-speed train link between Switzerland and London soon be a reality?

This content was published on Dec 19, 2023 The prospect of a direct rail link is picking up speed with the Swiss Federal Railways studying the options with international operators.

Read more: Could a direct high-speed train link between Switzerland and London soon be a reality

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