New high-speed rail service between Brussels and Basel in Switzerland from July 2027

A direct high-speed train connection between Brussels and the Swiss city of Basel is to launch in July 2027, Belgian rail company SNCB has announced.

The new service would be an extension of the existing TGV Inoui fast connection between Brussels and Strasbourg, which is jointly operated by French rail company SNCF and SNCB.

This connection will continue to Basel on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with one train per day in each direction. The service, in cooperation with the Swiss operator SBB, “is a pilot project that should map the demand for travel between Brussels and Basel,” said SNCB.

The TGV Inoui will depart from Brussels around 7.00 and arrive in Basel around 12.30. In the opposite direction, the train will leave Basel at around 14.00 and arrive in Brussels at around 19.00.

Intermediate stops in France would be the same as the current Brussels-Strasbourg service: Lille-Europe, Roissy Airport CDG TGV, Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Meuse TGV, Lorraine TGV and Strasbourg.

Although there is currently no direct train connection between Brussels and Switzerland, night train operator European Sleeper plans a service from September from Brussels to Milan via Switzerland

Eurostar has also announced a high-speed train connection Brussels-Geneva, due to be in service in a few years’ time.

Photo: ©TGV INOUI