Currently, if you want to get between the UK and Switzerland by rail, the route isn’t actually that complicated. One train will take you from London to Paris, then another from Paris to Zurich. In total, the time spent travelling is often six hours, which isn’t too bad at all, really.
But soon the UK and Switzerland could be getting even better rail links. A member of the Swiss parliament has called for an inquiry into a direct daily train service between Basel and London.
Politician Matthias Aebische is the one calling for the direct UK-Switzerland train route. He argues that it would decrease air travel and that there is currently more demand for climate-neutral travel than ever. According to RailTech, a single journey between London and Basel would take about five-and-a-half hours.
So could a direct rail route between the UK and Switzerland actually be on the cards? Well, maybe. While the direct line is certainly a possibility, significant infrastructural changes would have to be made before it becomes a reality. Notably, as the UK is no longer in the EU, Basel train station would need to be partially rebuilt to include customs and passport control facilities.
Aebische’s proposals certainly aren’t the only ambitious plans being made for Europe’s rail network. A series of new high-speed trains could, in fact, even eventually run all the way from the UK to Portugal. What a marvellous time to be a rail traveller, eh?
Did you see that this handy new map shows all the ways travellers can get across Europe by sleeper train?
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