Train services from London to Europe could be greatly expanded over the decade, with new direct rail routes to Germany and Switzerland planned.
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is working on a new five-hour connection between St Pancras and Basel via the Channel Tunnel with Eurostar trains; while the Spanish company Evolyn wants to open a direct connection to Frankfurt, Cologne, Zurich and Geneva.
It comes amid a number of potential rival Eurostar services being planned. Sir Richard Branson is reportedly investigating Virgin, which operates the current route – and Dutch rail company Heuro hopes to launch a rival service within the next five years.
Passengers currently traveling from London to Basel face an arduous journey on three trains, taking around six and a half to seven hours.
They have to take a Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris’s Gare du Nord and then take the RER metro to Gare de Lyon, from where they can catch a TGV service to Basel.
However, Swiss rail bosses hope the new route will include just one train and a single security and passport control at the departure station. Although there is no timetable for the project, SBB has confirmed that the direct connection is “possible”.
The plans for the London-Basel connection were confirmed by Philipp Mader, head of international passenger transport at SBB, at the meeting of the Swiss Travel Association.
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Speaking at the event in November, Mr Mader said: “As a long-haul destination, we are looking at a direct train from Switzerland to London, the most frequently flown city in Europe. “Basel to London in about five hours, that’s possible.”
However, the implementation is difficult, he added: “The infrastructure on this route is expensive – also because of the journey through the Eurotunnel.”
SBB hopes to offer passengers a viable alternative to flying between the UK and Switzerland, with dozens of flights operating daily between London and Swiss airports.
The idea of a train link between London and Basel gained momentum after it was proposed in March by Swiss politician Matthias Aebischer, who suggested it was important for travelers concerned about climate change.
He said at the time: “A lot of people these days want to travel in a climate-neutral way.” But if they have to change trains several times for a train trip in Europe, they will still take the plane.
However, a major problem before the direct trains can be operated would be a reconstruction of the Basel train station, as security and passport checks for travelers heading to London would now be similar to the requirements at airports.
Mr Aebische asked the Swiss Federal Council to work with France, Britain and Eurostar to determine whether the route was feasible.
Eurostar currently operates trains from London to Paris, Lille, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam
Rail expert Mark Smith, founder of international train guide Seat61.com, told MailOnline: “This will be a great service and will quickly become popular as it connects the UK to Switzerland by country.”
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“However, the context is that due to Brexit, Eurostar is focusing on its core routes and reducing passenger handling capacity at St Pancras.”
He also pointed out that the planned launch in 2025 of the new Electronic Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will require British citizens to register before traveling to the European Union, “represents a further risk”.
Mr Smith continued: “This year the Eurostar ski train is a link from the normal London-Lille service rather than a direct train as in previous years, despite pressure from ski companies in the French Alps.”
“The direct Eurostar from London to Marseille was not resumed after the pandemic and the direct Eurostar to Disneyland Paris was suspended in June this year.”
“It is therefore unlikely that Eurostar itself would be interested in another non-core route, even if SBB is interested.”
“The logistical problems are significant: they need to find customs-proof storage for the Eurostar train and a lockable platform with a covered space to check in passengers at security and border controls.” I’d love it if it happened, but I don’t don’t think so, breathe.’
There is sufficient capacity to extend services through the Channel Tunnel. The tunnel’s owner and operator, Getlink, said it could double the number of daily connections between the UK and Europe.
But Eurostar currently appears to be focused on its core routes to France, Belgium and the Netherlands – with just one UK stop remaining, at St Pancras, after it stopped using Kent stations Ebbsfleet and Ashford during the pandemic.
Passengers at London St Pancras (pictured) can finally use direct trains to Germany
A spokesperson for Eurostar told MailOnline: “It is encouraging to see the Swiss Federal Railways’ interest in expanding its international train network.”
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“We are constantly monitoring the potential for new routes, but our current focus is on our expanded network of European destinations following our merger with Thalys.”
MailOnline has asked SBB for comment.
Meanwhile, Evolyn is buying twelve trains for its planned high-speed train from the French manufacturer Alstom, maker of the legendary French TGV train.
The company’s £1 billion investment in the project to operate trains across the English Channel aims to challenge Eurostar’s monopoly on the route since 1994.
Evolyn hopes to start running trains from London to Paris from 2025 before being fully operational in 2026 – later expanding direct services from the UK to other countries.
Although these other destinations have not yet been confirmed, it is believed that they could be direct trains from London to Frankfurt, Cologne, Zurich and Geneva.
The move will make it much easier for Britons to travel to Europe by train outside of Belgium and Paris, eliminating the need to change trains when heading to Germany or Switzerland.
Eurostar currently operates trains from London to Paris, Lille, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam – although services from the Netherlands to St Pancras will be suspended for six months from June next year.
Following the merger of Thalys with Eurostar in May last year, the red and white Thalys-branded trains now disappear and are renamed Eurostar across the European network
The decision was announced in November by Dutch Railways, which said Amsterdam Centraal was unable to process passengers across the English Channel during a major renovation of the station.
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The Eurostar trains must therefore run empty on the route from Amsterdam via Rotterdam before picking up London-bound travelers in Brussels. At first it was feared that direct connections from the Netherlands would be suspended for almost a year.
Passengers wishing to travel by train from Amsterdam or Rotterdam to London must take the train to Brussels and then transfer to a Eurostar service.
Direct Eurostar trains from London to the Netherlands continue.
There are currently four daily return flights between London and Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam. This is an important route for the operator as it challenges one of the busiest European airline markets.
However, passenger numbers for services from Amsterdam are currently limited due to restrictions on the number of passengers allowed to pass through passport and security checks at the station.
Dutch Railways said that organizations involved in the renovation project investigated how to maintain traffic from Amsterdam, but found that it was not possible “despite all efforts”.
In 2011, there were reports that Deutsche Bahn would start services between London St. Pancras and Brussels wanted to operate, which was then split – one half ran via Rotterdam to Amsterdam and the other via Cologne to Frankfurt.
While Eurostar finally introduced direct trains from London to Amsterdam via Rotterdam in April 2018, Deutsche Bahn still does not offer services to London – and there are still no direct trains from London to Germany.
Sources at Eurostar confirmed to MailOnline earlier this year that there are currently no plans to offer direct services from London to Germany or Switzerland.
However, the situation has changed somewhat since the merger of Thalys with Eurostar in May 2022 – from October the red and white trains will disappear from the Thalys brand and be renamed Eurostar across the entire route network in Europe.
Within this framework, Eurostar aims to make it easier for its customers to book 28 locations, which are now marked as “Eurostar” destinations on the new website, including several German cities via Brussels.
Eurostar runs a profitable business linking London and mainland Europe via high-speed trains and has made a record profit of 332m euros (£288m) in 2022.
The company said in June that passenger volumes on the London-Netherlands route had more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
