Eurostar, SBB and SNCF plan direct Switzerland–London services
CROSS-BORDER: Three of Europe’s major rail operators have committed to developing direct trains between Switzerland and London, signing a memorandum of understanding that moves the project from intergovernmental intent to operational planning.
The three operators signed the MoU on 11 May, committing to joint timetable studies and operational concepts for direct services linking London with Zürich, Basel and Geneva.
Open questions remain on rolling stock, train paths and border control arrangements at the Channel Tunnel, with earliest services unlikely before the 2030s.
Planning moves from governments to operators
The 11 May agreement is the third formal step in a sequence that began with an intergovernmental MoU in May 2025 and continued with a bilateral SBB–SNCF agreement in March 2026. Each step has moved decision-making closer to the operators who would actually run the services.
The new MoU commits Eurostar, SBB and SNCF to joint timetable studies and operational concept work. It does not commit any party to a service launch, a rolling stock order or a funding arrangement.
The MoU does, however, establish a shared planning framework, marking the first time all three operators have formally aligned on the project.
Channel Tunnel remains the structural constraint
Running direct trains from Switzerland to London requires more than operator agreement. Train paths through France, infrastructure capacity and rolling stock certification all require resolution before any service can be designed.
The most complex constraint is border control at the Channel Tunnel. The United Kingdom is not part of the Schengen area. Passport and customs checks apply to all cross-Channel services, and the physical infrastructure for those checks on both sides of the tunnel was built for Eurostar’s current operation, not for expanded multi-operator through-running.
Any new Switzerland–London service would need to fit within that existing control framework or require new terminal arrangements, a process that involves both UK and French authorities.
Rolling stock and train paths unresolved
No rolling stock decision has been made. A Switzerland–London service would require trains capable of operating under multiple electrical systems and meeting Channel Tunnel safety requirements — a specification that few manufacturers can meet.
Train paths through France present a separate challenge. The routes connecting Switzerland to the Channel Tunnel traverse some of the most congested corridors in the European network, and path allocation involves multiple infrastructure managers.
The timetable studies now under way will define what is operationally feasible before any of those downstream questions can be resolved.
Direct services, if they materialise, are not expected before the early 2030s at the earliest.