Besides a new train to London, Swiss national railways, SBB, is also planning to further develop some of its existing cross-border lines.
The long-planned direct rail route between Switzerland and London has moved one step closer to becoming reality in May, after the SBB and France’s SNCF Voyageurs signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Eurostar to establish a direct connection between Swiss cities and the UK capital.
READ MORE: New Switzerland to London rail link moves step closer
While this route remains one of the SBB’s top priorities, the company is also planning to expand services to the already existing European destinations which are particularly popular with Swiss travellers.
Which international routes will SBB prioritise in the future?
Zurich to Munich
The SBB data reveals that Germany is among the top destinations for travellers from Switzerland – especially the Zurich to Münich line.
Operated by Deutsche Bahn, it remains one of the most travelled routes, even though it has frequent – and by now notorious – delays.
Even so, this line has enjoyed solid growth, with 27 percent more passengers recorded in 2025 than during the previous year.
The exact date of the expansion has not been indicated.
Other German cities
ICE trains between Basel and Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, and Hamburg will also be prioritised, with the SBB anticipating increasingly more passengers – 18,600 by 2035 -travelling on these lines.
More frequent services on this route are planned for the end of 2027,
New German-bound direct trains from Milan and Lugano via Lucerne and Basel and vice versa are also planned for this time.
Paris
This route, operated by France’s TGV Lyria together with the SBB, is also popular among travellers.
The SBB estimates that the number of passengers traveling to the French capital daily could reach 10,500 by 2035.
Most – 6,900 per day – will likely travel from Lausanne and Geneva, with another 3,700 daily Paris-bound travellers boarding in Zurich and Basel.
Venice
The number of passengers on this route is expected to grow from about 7,000 currently to 10,500 b 2035.
The SBB is therefore focusing on running more trains on this line.
The first expansion is expected in December 2026, with the addition of a second daily Eurocity train from Zurich to Venice.
Ticket-purchasing options to be expanded as well
Swiss commuters often complain that tickets for international trains are more expensive to buy in Switzerland than in other countries.
It is true that fares in Switzerland are quite a bit higher, asthey are driven up not only by the country’s high cost of living, but also by more developed and dense rail network, as well as a more frequent service.
However, The European Commission is considering implementing a unified ticketing system, which would be open to travellers from Switzerland as well.
The goal is to introduce common standards for cross-border travel, though the exact timing of this measure is not yet known.
