Memorandum of understanding for a direct Switzerland

Memorandum of understanding signed for a direct Switzerland–London connection

Following the Cooperation Agreement signed in March between SBB and SNCF Voyageurs aimed at strengthening the partnership between the two companies and developing new routes, SBB, SNCF Voyageurs and Eurostar took the process one step further by signing a memorandum of understanding to establish a potential direct connection between Switzerland and London. This marks an important milestone in the long-term planning for establishing a potential new direct connection to the United Kingdom.

SBB/CFF/FFS (Text), JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT, KEYSTONE (Photos)
Published on 11.05.2026

The demand for international rail travel is high, and SBB, SNCF Voyageurs and Eurostar see significant potential for connecting Switzerland to London. This is because London is the number one flight destination from Switzerland, and at the same time, there is strong customer demand for a direct rail connection to the United Kingdom. Studies show that direct connections between Zurich and London with a travel time of 6 hours, between Basel and London with a travel time of 5 hours, and between Geneva and London with a travel time of 5.5 hours could respond to a market demand and to international travellers’ expectations.

Cooperation with experienced partners

A Cooperation Agreement was signed in March between SBB and SNCF Voyageurs. It is aimed at strengthening the partnership between the two companies and developing potential new routes, including links between Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The agreement also covers the involvement of SNCF Voyageurs’ subsidiaries to achieve this objective.

The three companies, SNCF Voyageurs, its subsidiary Eurostar and SBB, have now signed an MoU outlining cooperation on a project to establish a potential direct connection between Switzerland and London. The partners are ideally suited to the task: SNCF Voyageurs already works closely with SBB, and a direct connection to London would have to run through France; Eurostar has been operating cross Channel connections between continental Europe and the United Kingdom for more than 30 years.

The signed MoU is an important milestone. The next step is to analyse potential timetables and operational concepts. The results will then be used to define the key steps and milestones in the potential introduction of such a direct connection from Switzerland to London.

Further steps required

The three partners aim to offer the potential direct connection to London as soon as possible and are continuously driving the project forward. However, several steps are still required before the new service can be introduced. These include preparing entry formalities, the required infrastructure and intergovernmental agreements as well as ensuring the availability of suitable trains and train paths. Implementation would be feasible at the earliest sometime in the course of the 2030s.

Previous steps towards a direct connection to London

Building on previous studies and on the MoU for an intergovernmental agreement signed in London on 8 May 2025 by Swiss Federal Councillor Albert Rösti and UK Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander, SBB is conducting further studies on behalf of the Federal Office of Transport, while Eurostar and SNCF Voyageurs are looking to continue their development with new international connections.

About SNCF Voyageurs

Established on 1 January 2020, SNCF Voyageurs is the SNCF Group company dedicated to passenger rail transport, carrying 5 million passengers every day on 15,000 trains. It offers long-distance and high-speed travel to 230 destinations in France and Europe, with TGV INOUI, OUIGO, Eurostar and TGV Lyria. SNCF Voyageurs also operates trains under public service contracts on behalf of transport authorities (regions and the State) with Transilien in the Île-de-France region, TER in 11 regions, and Intercités day and night services for regional development routes. Thanks to the expertise of its 65,000 employees, it offers its customers – whether passengers, transport authorities or businesses – low-carbon transport solutions. It also provides engineering solutions for services and rolling stock, as well as maintenance services through Masteris. Its subsidiary SNCF Connect & Tech develops digital solutions and services, with Tesmo for businesses and local authorities, and SNCF Connect, the leading all-in-one platform for sustainable travel for passengers. SNCF Voyageurs generated a revenue of €20.9 billion in 2025.

About Eurostar

With a fleet of 51 high‑speed trains, Eurostar operates the largest international high‑speed rail network in Western Europe, serving more than 20 destinations across Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

In 2025, Eurostar carried 20 million passengers.

To support its long‑term growth, Eurostar has placed an order of up to 50 Celestia double-decker trains with Alstom, which will be introduced as from May 2031.

Eurostar’s shareholding structure is as follows:

SNCF Voyages Développement (55.75%), a subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs
CDPQ (19.31%)
SNCB (18.50%)
Federated Hermes Infrastructure Fund (6.44%)