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The UK and Swiss governments have outlined plans to encourage train companies to launch direct services between London and Switzerland to capitalize on booming demand for long-distance railway travel in Europe.
On Friday, the two governments issued a memorandum of understanding “laying the foundations for future commercial services” that linked the two countries through channel tunnel rail links.
According to people in the industry, direct service aims to appeal to both business and leisure travelers, reducing travel time from London to Geneva to around five hours. At this point, the same journey by train will take about 7.5 hours on the transfer in Paris. A flight from London to Geneva takes about an hour and 40 minutes.
Direct railway services present logistical challenges as border infrastructure must be built at Swiss stations and new operators will need to purchase trains that are compatible with strict safety regulations for channel tunnels. The government said it would explore ways to overcome such barriers.
One option being investigated is to build temporary “modular” border controls and security screenings at Swiss stations to keep costs down, officials said.
According to industry executives, demand for long-distance intercity rail travel in Europe has been booming due to environmental concerns regarding passenger flights since the coronavirus pandemic.
“We welcome the steps to strengthen sustainable travel between the UK and Switzerland, which is the first step in a broader plan to expand connections with our partners in the most environmentally friendly ways,” said Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of EuroStar.
Still, several executives warned that barriers to entry into the cross-channel route remain high, and that new services between London and Switzerland will be years away.
Albert Rösti, one of the seven federal councillors in the Swiss government’s enforcement division, said London-to-Switzerland services will be “ambitious goals,” but within five to ten years, “really likely” services will be launched.
The Swiss government said stations in Geneva, Zurich and Basel can take trains from London, but these must be equipped with border control facilities. Switzerland’s federal Ministry of Transport will present plans to the central government next year on how this will work, he added.
Eurostar is the only company that operates international trains from London to stations in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
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Swiss national railway company Swiss Federal Railway (SBB), said it welcomed the plan. He said the earliest direct connection requirements in the 2030s include investment in new high speed trains.
Several other operators, including the Italian State Railway and Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, have applied for permission to launch their own services from London to the continent, at the most important challenge to the Eurostar’s 30-year monopoly.
The owners of the high-speed railway line from London to Channel Tunnel to London St. Pancras High Speed announced earlier this year a financial incentive to encourage operators to launch more services between London and mainland Europe.
Its chief executive Robert Sinclair said the agreement between the UK and Switzerland “is one step closer to high-speed service between London and Switzerland.”
