English Corner

SBB trains could soon be taking a more direct route to the British capital, London. Image: Facebook / SBB

Direct trains between London and Switzerland are getting closer

24.02.2025 – 06:03

The days of tedious and time-consuming rail journeys between Switzerland and the UK could soon be a thing of the past. New plans are in place to significantly expand international rail traffic from London, paving the way for direct connections to Switzerland.

So far, direct train connections from London's St. Pancras station have mainly been to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. With the aim of significantly increasing passenger numbers, the station is to become a starting point for trips to Germany and Switzerland.

The planned expansion of capacities could almost triple the number of international passengers from the current 1,800 per hour to up to 5,000, as reported on the website «Secret London».

Cooperation for a networked Europe

London St Pancras Highspeed (LSPH) and Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, recently signed an agreement aimed at closer cooperation. Both parties want to work together to reduce travel times and develop growth strategies to allow more trains per hour.

Among the potential destinations are cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Bordeaux, Marseille and Zurich – a development that is of great interest to Swiss travellers.

As early as 15 months ago, Philipp Mäder, Head of International Passenger Transport at SBB, pointed out the enormous potential of the rail route between Great Britain and Switzerland in a presentation at the general assembly of the Swiss Travel Association in Parma. ‘Basel to London in around five hours, it's possible,’ said Mäder (Travelnews reported).

Modernisation at the hub

In addition to the expansion of international routes, work also needs to be carried out at St. Pancras station itself. Border controls and high passenger volumes during peak hours make modernization essential to meet growing demand.

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive of LSPH, explains: ‘We are actively working to encourage new and existing train operators to expand their capacity and add new destinations to unlock the potential of a fully connected Europe.’

It remains to be seen whether these ambitious plans will soon become reality – but one thing is certain: the future of rail travel in Europe could change fundamentally.

(TN)