UK and Switzerland open roads for direct railways

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British governments and Swiss governments have set plans to encourage train companies to launch direct services between London and Switzerland, in an attempt to benefit from the prosperous demand to travel for long -distance railways in Europe.

On Friday, the two governments announced a memorandum of understanding “to lay the foundation for future commercial services”, and link the two countries through the channel tunnel Railway connection.

The direct service aims to attract both commercial and entertainment travelers and will reduce the flight time from London to Geneva to about five hours, according to people in this industry. Currently, the same trip takes about 7.5 hours by train with a transportation in Paris. A trip to Geneva from London takes about an hour and 40 minutes.

The direct railway service would provide logistical challenges due to the need to build the border infrastructure in Swiss stations and for any new operator to buy trains is compatible with the strict safety rules of the channel tunnel. Governments said they would explore ways to overcome such barriers.

A person involved said that one of the options that are explored is based on temporary “unit” and security control elements in the Swiss stations because this would lead to low costs.

The demand for long -range railways in Europe It flourished Since the Korona virus pandemic, partly due to the environmental concerns of passengers on aviation, according to CEOs in this field.

“We welcome steps to enhance sustainable travel between the United Kingdom and Switzerland … this is a first step in a broader plan with our partners to develop communications in the most green roads,” said Jindoline Casinaf, CEO of Eurostar.

However, many executives warned that the barriers in front of entering the cross canal roads have been high, and that any new services between London and Switzerland You will be years away.

Albert Rosti, a member of the House of Representatives Fedry at the executive arm of the Swiss government, said that the London service to Switzerland will be a “ambitious goal”, but the services are likely to be launched “most likely” within five to 10 years.

The Swiss government said that the stations in Geneva and Zurich and Basel can take trains from London, but this will need to provide them with border monitoring facilities. He added that the Federal Ministry of Transport in Switzerland will present a plan for the central government next year on how to do this.

Eurostar is the only company that runs international trains from London to stations in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the National Railways Company in Switzerland, said it welcomed the plan. She said that direct contact requirements, which will be in the thirties of the last century as soon as possible, will include investing in new high -speed trains.

Many other operators, including Italian government railways and Richard Branson Virgin Group, have provided permission to launch their own services from London to the continent, in the most important challenges until Eurostar’s monopoly for 30 years.

The owner of the high -speed railway from London to the channel’s tunnel, London St. Pancras Hyshed, earlier this year The unveiled financial incentives To encourage operators to launch more services between London and continental Europe.

CEO Robert Senkler said that the agreement between the United Kingdom and Switzerland “is close to us one step approaching high -speed services between London and Switzerland.”