London trains could reach FIVE new destinations in Europe: how Swiss and Spanish rail companies propose Eurostar connections from St Pancras to remote locations across the continent

Train services from London to Europe could be massively expanded over the decade, amid plans for new direct rail lines to Germany and Switzerland.

The Swiss National Railways (SBB) is working on a new five-hour service between St. Pancras and Basel via the Channel Tunnel using Eurostar trains; while the Spanish company Evolyn wants to open a direct connection with Frankfurt, Cologne, Zurich and Geneva.

These come amid a range of possible rival services to the Eurostar being planned, with Sir Richard Branson reportedly investigating Virgin operating the current route – and Dutch train start-up Heuro hoping to launch a rival service within the next five years .

Train passengers traveling from London to Basel currently have to make an arduous journey on three trains, which usually takes around six and a half to seven hours.

They will need to take a Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord and then travel on the RER metro to Gare de Lyon, from where they can catch a TGV service to Basel.

But Swiss rail bosses hope the new route will include just one train, as well as a single check through security and passport control at the departing station. Although there is no timetable for the project, SBB has confirmed that the direct link is ‘possible’.

Plans for the London-Basel link were confirmed by SBB head of international passenger transport Philipp Mader at the Swiss Travel Association conference.

Speaking at the event in November, Mr Mader said: ‘As a long-haul destination, we are exploring a direct train from Switzerland to London, the most flown city in Europe. Basel to London in about five hours, that’s possible.’

But he added that implementation would be difficult, saying: ‘Infrastructure is expensive on this route – partly because of the journey through the Eurotunnel.’

SBB hopes to offer passengers a viable alternative to flying between Britain and Switzerland, as there are dozens of daily flights between London and Swiss airports every day.

The idea of ​​a train link between London and Basel has gained momentum after it was proposed in March by Swiss politician Matthias Aebischer, who pointed out it was important for travelers concerned about climate change.

He said at the time: ‘Many people nowadays want to travel climate neutrally. But if they have to change several times for a train journey in Europe, they still take the plane.’

However, a major issue before the direct trains could run would be a redevelopment of Basel station, as security and passport control for travelers heading to London would now be similar to what is required at airports.

Mr Aebische has asked the Swiss Federal Council to work with France, Britain and Eurostar to determine whether the route is feasible.

Rail expert Mark Smith, founder of the international train guide Seat61.comtold MailOnline: ‘This would be a great service and would quickly become popular, connecting the UK to Switzerland by land.

‘However, the context is that Eurostar is concentrating on its core routes due to Brexit, reducing passenger handling capacity at St Pancras.’

He also pointed out that the planned introduction in 2025 of the new Electronic Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will require British citizens to register before traveling to the European Union, ‘poses another risk’.

Mr Smith continued: ‘This year the Eurostar ski train is a link from the normal London to Lille service, and not a direct train as in previous years, despite pressure from ski-related companies in the French Alps.

‘The direct Eurostar from London to Marseille did not resume after the pandemic and the direct Eurostar to Disneyland Paris stopped in June this year.

‘So Eurostar itself is unlikely to be interested in another non-core route, even if SBB is.

‘The logistical problems are significant: they need to find customs-secure storage for the Eurostar train and a platform that can be cordoned off with covered space to check in passengers with security checks and border checks. I would love it if this happened, but I’m not holding my breath.’

There is plenty of capacity to expand services through the Channel Tunnel, with the tunnel’s owner and operator Getlink saying it could double the number of daily services between Britain and Europe.

But Eurostar currently appears to be focusing on its core routes to France, Belgium and the Netherlands – with just one remaining stop in the UK, at St Pancras, after it stopped using Kent stations at Ebbsfleet and Ashford during the pandemic .

A Eurostar spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘It is encouraging to see interest from the Swiss National Railways in expanding their international train route network.

‘We always monitor the potential for new routes, but our current focus is on our extensive network of European destinations following our union with Thalys.’

MailOnline has contacted SBB for comment.

Meanwhile, Evolyn is buying 12 trains from French manufacturer Alstom, maker of France’s iconic TGV train, for its planned high-speed rail service.

The company’s £1 billion investment in the project to run trains under the English Channel aims to challenge Eurostar’s monopoly on the route that it has held since 1994.

Evolyn hopes to start trains from London to Paris from 2025 before being fully operational in 2026 – and later expand direct services from Britain to other countries.

Although these other destinations have not yet been confirmed, it is believed they could include direct trains from London to Frankfurt, Cologne, Zurich and Geneva.

The move would make it much easier for Brits to travel to Europe by rail beyond Belgium and Paris, eliminating the need to change trains if going to Germany or Switzerland.

Eurostar currently runs trains from London to Paris, Lille, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam – although services from the Netherlands to St Pancras will be suspended for six months from June next year.

The decision was announced in November by the Dutch Railways, which said Amsterdam Centraal would not be able to handle cross-Channel passengers during a major renovation of the station.

The Eurostar trains will therefore have to run empty on the route from Amsterdam via Rotterdam before they can pick up travelers bound for London in Brussels. Initially, it was feared that direct services from the Netherlands would be suspended for almost a year.

Passengers wishing to travel by rail from Amsterdam or Rotterdam to London must take the train to Brussels and then transfer to a Eurostar service.

Direct Eurostar trains from London to the Netherlands will continue to operate.

There are currently four daily return services between London and Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam. It is an important route for the operator as it challenges one of the busiest European markets for airlines.

But passenger numbers for services from Amsterdam are currently limited due to restrictions on the number of passengers who can pass through passport and security checks at the station.

Dutch Railways said that organizations involved in the renovation project investigated how services could continue from Amsterdam, but found that this would not be possible ‘despite all efforts’.

In 2011 there were reports that Deutsche Bahn wanted to operate services between London St Pancras and Brussels from 2013, which would then split – with one half going via Rotterdam to Amsterdam and the other via Cologne to Frankfurt.

While direct trains from London to Amsterdam via Rotterdam were eventually launched by Eurostar in April 2018, Deutsche Bahn has still not operated services to London – and there are still no direct trains from London to Germany.

Sources at Eurostar confirmed to MailOnline earlier this year that there are currently no plans to provide direct services from London to Germany or Switzerland.

However, the situation has changed somewhat since Thalys merged with Eurostar in May 2022 – with the red and white Thalys-branded trains now disappearing from October and being rebranded as Eurostar across the extensive network in Europe.

As part of this, Eurostar has aimed to make it easier for its customers to book to 28 locations now branded as ‘Eurostar’ destinations on the new website, including several German cities via Brussels.

Eurostar operates a lucrative business connecting London and mainland Europe via high-speed trains, and has made record profits of €332m (£288m) in 2022.

The company said in June that passenger volumes on the London-Netherlands route have more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.