Eurostar Eyes New London to Switzerland Train Route

Eurostar is exploring the possibility of launching a direct train connection from London to Switzerland by 2030 in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Railways.

New Eurostar connection from London to Switzerland

Eurostar has signed a memorandum of understanding with the French railways (SNCF) and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to establish a potential direct rail connection between London and Switzerland.

According to Eurostar, there is strong demand for a direct train service between London and Switzerland, as the British capital is the most popular flight destination from Swiss airports.

Studies by Eurostar show that direct high-speed train connections between London and Zurich could be operated with a journey time of six hours, while journeys between London and Basel could take five hours, and those between London and Geneva five and a half hours.

That would make the train highly competitive with air travel in terms of journey time, as the overall travel time would be more or less the same once you factor in the journey to the airport, arriving two hours early for check-in, and the time needed to travel from the airport to the city centre at the other end.

SNCF and SBB already work together on several high-speed train routes between France and Switzerland under the TGV Lyria umbrella.

Eurostar train at London St Pancras station. ©AndyBTravels

Implementation

Eurostar, SNCF, and SBB have signalled their aim to launch a direct London to Switzerland train as soon as possible, although several steps are still required before any new route can be introduced.

These include the necessary infrastructure and intergovernmental agreements, as well as securing suitable rolling stock and train paths.

According to Eurostar, implementation would be feasible at the earliest from 2030, or later in the decade.

Border

The big question surrounding a prospective London–Switzerland train service is how Eurostar would handle border procedures.

Any station in Switzerland – whether Basel, Geneva, or Zurich – would need to be equipped with a dedicated Eurostar terminal to process passengers and allow Swiss and British immigration officers to carry out Schengen exit checks and UK immigration procedures.

Needless to say, this would be a major challenge, both logistically in terms of the physical space required at the station and financially because of the redevelopment and construction costs involved in building such a terminal.

Another option would be to route the trains via Lille and require passengers to disembark there for immigration checks before being allowed to board the Eurostar again.

However, this would add considerable extra time to the journey and would not be particularly passenger-friendly.

Train departures board at the main station of Zurich. ©AndyBTravels

Conclusion

Eurostar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the French and Swiss railways, signalling its intention to launch a direct London–Switzerland train service.

It is not yet clear which destination Eurostar is considering, as Geneva, Basel, and Zurich are all being discussed.

Several challenges still need to be overcome before a direct London–Switzerland train service becomes a reality.

Although this could happen as early as 2030, it may also be later in the decade.