Eurostar plans direct trains from London to Germany and Switzerland

Eurostar has unveiled plans to launch direct train services connecting the United Kingdom with Germany and Switzerland.

The operator claimed a "new golden age of international sustainable travel is here" as it announced proposals to run trains between London St Pancras and both Frankfurt and Geneva from the early 2030s.

These routes would be served by a fleet of up to 50 new trains, costing approximately €2 billion ($2.3 billion).

Journey times would be about five hours between London and Frankfurt, and five hours and 20 minutes between London and Geneva.

It has not been decided what stops the services would make – such as Cologne for trains to or from Frankfurt – and whether passengers would be able to get on and off en route.

Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the PA news agency many passengers are prepared to take longer train journeys rather than flying as they "want to travel more sustainably."

She expects there would be strong demand from leisure and business travellers for direct services to Frankfurt and Geneva, which she described as "big financial hubs."

A number of hurdles must be overcome before services could launch, such as creating sufficient passenger space at those stations, installing new border checkpoints and securing access to tracks.

Cazenave acknowledged that opening new international train routes requires "time, investments, expertise, a huge amount of energy and partnerships" but she has "no doubt" the new direct services will happen because of the "willingness" of Eurostar, passengers and governments.

The UK and Switzerland signed a memorandum of understanding last month aimed at establishing direct train services between the countries.

Eurostar will operate the new trains alongside its 17 existing e320s, bringing its total fleet to 67 trains, a 30% increase on today.

The operator's London trains serve Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and the French Alps during the ski season. It also runs services within Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

It carried 19.5 million passengers last year, up 5% from 18.6 million in 2023.

Cazenave said: "We're seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide."

"Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time."

Eurostar achieved a 2% increase in revenue to €2 billion last year, and recorded underlying earnings of €346 million.

Eurostar is majority-owned by French state railway company SNCF. The UK sold its stake in Eurostar to private companies in 2015.