In a bid to offer a new alternative to air travel, rail companies in Belgium, France, and Switzerland will be working together to establish a high-speed train connection between Brussels, Strasbourg, and Basel. The new route should be operational as of July 2027.
European rail providers are continuously looking for new opportunities to replace short-haul flights within the continent. As of July 2027, those who wish to travel between Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), and Basel (Switzerland) will be able to do so via a direct high-speed train connection.
“Every offer that we extend is based on what is demanded by our passengers. Over the past few years, we have seen many more requests for international train services to several destinations,” SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman told The Brussels Times.
The project is the result of a collaboration between the Belgian SNCB, French SNCF Voyageurs, and Swiss Federal Railways. The current TGV INOUI service between Brussels and Strasbourg would be extended to Basel, giving travellers the opportunity to travel easily between the different cities, without the need to make multiple transfers on the way.
Moreover, it will ease international train travel within the EU as a whole, thanks to the wide range of existing connections to other destinations in each of the cities en route. The UK and the Netherlands in particular would prove more easily reachable for Swiss travellers, with connections between Basel and London via Lille being one of the main highlights.
Specifics of the connection
According to the plans at the time of writing, return journeys would operate every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Trains are scheduled to leave Brussels-Midi at approximately 7:00 am, reaching Basel at 12:30 pm. The return trip would leave Basel around 2:00 pm and arrive at Brussels at 7:00 pm.
On its way, the new train service would halt at Lille-Europe, Charles de Gaulle Airport TGV, Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Meuse TGV, Lorraine TGV, and Strasbourg-Ville. However, according to Temmerman, there are as of yet no plans to take the route any further into Switzerland.
SNCB, SNCF Voyageurs, nor Swiss Federal Railways have made any projections concerning the number of passengers they expect to make use of the new service. By launching the route together and by initially only operating on weekends, the train operators hope to be able to reach as many travellers as possible.
“It is a pilot project designed to gauge demand for travel between Brussels and Basel,” commented the SNCB.
Sales for the new service are expected to launch in the spring of 2027, while the trains themselves should start operating in July 2027.
While no direct train service operated between Brussels and Switzerland at the moment of writing, multiple projects are being developed in order to change this. Night operator European Sleeper is planning to install a connections between Brussels, Switzerland, and Italy as of September 2026, while Eurostar has long term plans for a high-speed connection between Brussels and Geneva.
