The city’s four direct train connections – to Lyon, Milan, Paris, and Zurich – pale in comparison to other major European cities such as Vienna (17 connections), Munich (15) and Berlin (14). 

 ‘Zurich OK, Geneva flops’.is the verdict of the global environmentalist organisation. 

Their ‘Connection Failed’ analysis, published on Tuesday, found that Switzerland’s capital of international diplomacy and research could support up to 25 more direct connections to other cities. 

The analysis also found that Zurich could potentially run more than 15 different direct routes. 

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Greenpeace also highlighted the relative lack of night trains in Switzerland in their analysis.

Nine night trains run from Zurich while none depart from Geneva – a substantial gap from Vienna’s 16 and Bucharest’s 12. 

Demanding urgent action on climate change, the environmental organisation called on the federal government and the SBB to prioritise a significant increase in the number of direct connections from both Geneva and Zurich.

Roland Gysin, the media spokesman, stated: “On average, planes emit almost five times as many climate-damaging greenhouse gases as trains. 

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“This makes a well-developed cross-border rail network all the more important. One of the reasons why travellers choose to fly instead of taking the train is the lack of direct trains.”

They also called for the abolition of tax breaks and subsidies, as well as the introduction of a ‘kerosene tax’ on airlines. The resulting higher fares would serve to persuade travellers to choose rail travel. over flying

The Swiss government appears to share some of Greenpeace’s concerns. A major component of the SBB’s STEP ES 2025 expansion plans is an increase in capacity at Geneva’s main station, making further direct connections more likely.