Hop on the train at Basel SBB and exit at London-St Pancras International just 5.5 hours later: that’s the suggestion of Bernese national councillor Matthias Aebischer who has put forward a new plan to the Swiss government which would see Basel and London connected via a direct rail route.

Currently, Switzerland-based travellers choosing to reach England’s capital via rail have to jump on a train at Basel SBB and change at Paris Gare de Lyon. From there, passengers must take the underground train to Paris Gare du Nord and then embark on a connecting train to London St Pancras. While the whole journey from Basel to London takes just over seven hours, many travellers find the changeover to be inconvenient.

Aebischer has now proposed for the Swiss government to liaise with both Britain and France to figure out how a direct daily train link between the two cities could be launched.

Many benefits

According to Social Democrat (SP) politician Aebischer, strengthening rail transport in international traffic is an essential contribution to achieving climate goals as it is a well-known fact that train travel causes far fewer CO2 emissions than air travel. Thus, offering travellers both in Switzerland and the UK a more attractive and convenient alternative to air travel may well encourage more train travel between the two cities, and not only help the environment but also draw more tourists.

In recent years, transport companies have made significant efforts in this regard. The daily connections to Italy and Munich, for example, as well as the range of night trains currently available from Switzerland have been significantly expanded and seen rising demand. 

READ ALSO: What are the best night train routes to and from Switzerland

Platforms would require rebuilding

However, Aebischer also notes that establishing the new train connection – if approved – wouldn’t be smooth sailing since Britain is no longer in the EU. If the cross-Channel link were indeed to see the light of day, Basel’s SBB station would need to be extensively rebuilt.

Since the UK has left the EU and only participates in the Schengen Agreement to a limited extent, boarding the trains in Switzerland would involve both security and passport controls akin to those required at its airports. This also means that the Basel to London trains could only use fixed tracks.

Still, Aebischer insists that what is possible for Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, should also be feasible for Switzerland – and he’s not alone.

So far, his proposal has been signed by the Basel-based Mitte politician Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter and the Basel-Stadt LDP representative Patricia von Falkenstein, among others. 

Watch this space!