Latest news with #directtrains
Sky News
6 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News
Heading to Germany or Switzerland? You'll soon be able to take the train
Eurostar has announced plans to launch direct services from London to Germany and Switzerland. Chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave said "a new golden age of international sustainable travel is here" as the operator announced its proposals to run trains between London St Pancras and both Frankfurt and Geneva from the "early 2030s". The journey would take about five hours between London and Frankfurt, and five hours and 20 minutes between London and Geneva, with a fleet of 50 new trains costing about £1.7bn (€2bn) serving these routes. Eurostar has not yet decided what stops the services on the new routes would make, such as Cologne for trains to or from Frankfurt, and whether passengers would be able to get on and off en route. Ms Cazenave said she expects a strong demand from leisure and business travellers for direct services to "big financial hubs" Frankfurt and Geneva, as many passengers are prepared to choose longer train journeys over flying to "travel more sustainably". Before the new services could launch, several hurdles must be overcome, like creating sufficient passenger space at those stations, installing new border checkpoints, and securing access to tracks. While opening the new routes will require "time, investments, expertise, a huge amount of energy and partnerships", Ms Cazenave said, she has "no doubt" the services will happen due to the "willingness" of Eurostar, passengers and governments. Eurostar also announced a fourth daily return service between St Pancras and Amsterdam from September 9, and a fifth from mid-December. The company has a total of 17 trains in operation, and the new fleet for the services to Germany and Switzerland would enable it to boost existing routes, such as increasing its daily return frequencies between London and Paris from 17 to 20. It currently runs services from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and the French Alps during the ski season, as well as trains within Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The operator carried 19.5 million passengers in 2024, which is a 5% increase from the year before.
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Eurostar plans new direct routes to two European destinations
Eurostar has announced its intentions to launch direct train services linking the UK to Germany and Switzerland. The operator heralded a "new golden age of international sustainable travel" as it revealed proposals to run trains between London St Pancras and both Frankfurt and Geneva, with services expected to begin in the "early 2030s". The new routes would be served by a fleet of up to 50 new trains, at a cost of approximately two billion euros (£1.7 billion). Journeys between London and Frankfurt are estimated to take about five hours. Trips between London and Geneva would take approximately five hours and 20 minutes. It has not been decided what stops the services would make – such as Cologne for trains to or from Frankfurt – and whether passengers would be able to get on and off en route. Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave said many passengers are prepared to take longer train journeys rather than flying as they 'want to travel more sustainably'. She expects there would be strong demand from leisure and business travellers for direct services to Frankfurt and Geneva, which she described as 'big financial hubs'. A number of hurdles must be overcome before services could launch, such as creating sufficient passenger space at those stations, installing new border checkpoints, and securing access to tracks. Ms Cazenave acknowledged that opening new international train routes requires 'time, investments, expertise, a huge amount of energy, and partnerships' but she has 'no doubt' the new direct services will happen because of the 'willingness' of Eurostar, passengers and governments. The UK and Switzerland signed a memorandum of understanding last month aimed at establishing direct train services between the countries. Eurostar will operate the new trains alongside its 17 existing e320s, bringing its total fleet to 67 trains, a 30 per cent increase on today. Its new fleet will also enable it to boost existing routes, such as increasing its daily return frequencies between London and Paris from 17 to 20. Meanwhile, the company confirmed it will add a fourth daily return service between St Pancras and Amsterdam from September 9, and a fifth from mid-December. The operator's London trains serve Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and the French Alps during the ski season. It also runs services within Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. It carried 19.5 million passengers last year, up 5 per cent from 18.6 million in 2023. London-Paris was its strongest performing route in 2024, with 280,000 passengers. That was followed by London-Brussels (250,000 passengers), Paris-Brussels (160,000 passengers) and Paris-the Netherlands (140,000 passengers). Ms Cazenave said: 'We're seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide. 'Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. 'Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time. 'A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here.' A number of companies are developing plans to end Eurostar's monopoly on operating passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel. They include billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson 's Virgin Group, Italy's state-owned railway company FS Italiane Group, and Gemini Trains, which is chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley. Eurostar achieved a 2.0 per cent increase in revenue to 2.0 billion euros last year, and recorded underlying earnings of 346 million euros (£292 million). It said it refinanced its 963.7 million euros (£813.2 million) bank debt in 2024, reducing the amount to 650 million euros (£549 million) by the end of the year. Eurostar is majority-owned by French state railway company SNCF. The UK sold its stake in Eurostar to private companies for £757 million in 2015.
Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Times
UK to Switzerland in five hours by high-speed train? Not so fast
Direct trains between the UK and Switzerland are a step closer after the two countries agreed to work together to make it happen. The journey time between London and Geneva could be cut to about five hours, without the need to change trains in Paris. At present the journey takes about seven and a half hours. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, held talks with Albert Rösti, her Swiss counterpart, at St Pancras station on Thursday. They signed a memorandum of understanding, agreeing a joint effort to establish the route including border controls at either end and meeting Channel Tunnel safety rules. Alexander said direct railway services to Switzerland would offer 'an incredible passenger experience' but acknowledged there was 'a lot of detail to work through'.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
First ever direct trains from London to Switzerland move even closer to launching
NEW direct trains between London and Switzerland could soon be a reality. The government has revealed today that an agreement has been signed between Britain and Switzerland, aimed at creating a direct rail link between London and Switzerland. 4 Currently, passengers from London can travel directly to Paris in France, Brussels in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. However, most passengers heading to Switzerland have to change trains and stations in Paris, which increases the overall journey time to and from Geneva to around seven-and-a-half hours. If a direct service is established, the journey would take around five hours. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the signing of the agreement was "an important day" but acknowledged there is "a lot of detail to work through" before services can begin. She added: "It's not going to be within the next 12 months, but if we can make this happen I think it will be a fantastic thing for our two countries." The Transport Secretary also commented that direct train services to Switzerland would offer "an incredible passenger experience" and be "really convenient". Flights from London Heathrow to Geneva currently take around one hour and 40 minutes. However, if one train was full of 1,000 people, flights from Switzerland would be reduced by five. Albert Rosti, Swiss transport minister, said: "It will be competitive to flights. "I'm convinced that it's a good opportunity." He also insisted that it is "really likely" that services will launch in five to 10 years. A new group will be established to work out how to overcome the commercial, technical and security barriers to running services from Britain, through the Channel Tunnel, crossing France and onto Switzerland. As part of the agreement, work will be done to understand what border controls would need to be established and how to meet Channel Tunnel safety rules, according to the Department for Transport (DfT) said. The first group meeting will take place in the upcoming months, according to the DfT. Robert Sinclair, chief executive of London St Pancras Highspeed, which owns St Pancras station and the high-speed line to the Channel Tunnel, said: "This exciting announcement brings us one step closer to direct high-speed services between London and Switzerland, building on the preliminary work already undertaken to ensure that station access and routes are in place to make this a reality." Eurostar boss Gwendoline Cazenave said the operator has introduced the ability for passengers to buy tickets for travel between London and several Swiss cities in a single booking. She added: "This is a first step in a wider plan with our partners to grow connections in the greenest way." Currently, Eurostar holds the monopoly in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel. However, several organisations are currently developing plans to launch rival services, including Virgin Group. Virgin Group stated in March there were "no more major hurdles to overcome" before it can begin operating. The Group made the claim following a report carried out by the Office of Rail and Road revealed that there is some capacity at Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot in north-east London. Ms Alexander said the government "wants to see a competitive and thriving international rail market" and is keen to work with London St Pancras Highspeed to "maximise the opportunities" of the Channel Tunnel. London St Pancras Highspeed has said the line to the tunnel is operating at about 50 per cent capacity. Virgin Group responded to the report conducted by the Office for Rail and Road. Plus, Eurostar has revealed future plans for trains from UK to Germany and Switzerland. 4
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Direct trains from UK to Switzerland move step closer
Efforts to establish direct train services between the UK and Switzerland have moved a step closer after the countries reached a co-operation agreement. A memorandum of understanding has been signed in an attempt to address barriers to the rail link, such as establishing border controls and meeting Channel Tunnel safety rules, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander held talks on the issue with Swiss transport minister Albert Rosti at London's St Pancras station on Thursday. Most passengers travelling by rail between St Pancras and Switzerland change trains and stations in Paris, leading to a total journey time to and from Geneva of around seven-and-a-half hours. This could be reduced to around five hours if services were direct. Flights from Heathrow to Geneva take one hour and 40 minutes. Ms Alexander hailed the signing of the agreement as 'an important day' but acknowledged there is 'a lot of detail to work through' before services begin. She told the PA news agency: 'It's not going to be within the next 12 months, but if we can make this happen I think it will be a fantastic thing for our two countries.' The Transport Secretary said direct train services to Switzerland would offer 'an incredible passenger experience' and be 'really convenient'. Mr Rosti predicted that progress in opening the route will not be 'as fast as I would like' but insisted it is 'really likely' that services will launch in five to 10 years. He went on: 'I'm convinced that it's a good opportunity. 'It will be competitive to flights. 'If you can fill one train with 1,000 people, you can reduce the number of flights from Switzerland by five.' The memorandum of understanding includes intentions to share information and expertise, understand the practical requirements for border and security controls, and facilitate dialogue with interested operators to develop commercial arrangements. A joint working group will be established bringing together government and industry experts from the UK and Switzerland to examine how to overcome commercial and technical barriers to launching train services. It will hold its first meeting in the coming months, according to the DfT. Robert Sinclair, chief executive of London St Pancras Highspeed, which owns St Pancras station and the high-speed line to the Channel Tunnel, said: 'This exciting announcement brings us one step closer to direct high-speed services between London and Switzerland, building on the preliminary work already undertaken to ensure that station access and routes are in place to make this a reality.' Eurostar boss Gwendoline Cazenave said the operator has introduced the ability for passengers to buy tickets for travel between London and several Swiss cities in a single booking, adding: 'This is a first step in a wider plan with our partners to grow connections in the greenest way.' Eurostar holds a monopoly in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, but several organisations are developing plans to launch rival services. Virgin Group stated in March there were 'no more major hurdles to overcome' before it can begin operating. It made the claim after regulator the Office of Rail and Road said some capacity at Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot in north-east London could be made available to other operators. Ms Alexander said the Government 'wants to see a competitive and thriving international rail market' and is keen to work with London St Pancras Highspeed to 'maximise the opportunities' of the Channel Tunnel. London St Pancras Highspeed has said the line to the tunnel is operating at about 50% capacity.
