On Friday May 5, 2023, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) announced a complete overhaul of their timetable for 2025. Longer journey times and the elimination of the direct line linking the Jura Arc to Geneva will lead to a deterioration in rail services to Geneva international airport over the next 10 years.
According to SBB, the new timetable is justified by the work that needs to be carried out on existing lines, and will mainly affect the Jura Arc and Geneva. From December 2024, the direct link between Geneva and Zurich via Neuchâtel on the Pied du Jura line (train IC5) will be almost entirely discontinued. As a result, the Jura Arc will be deprived of direct rail access to Geneva international airport.
AERIA+ regrets this decision, which will considerably reduce the region’s accessibility and thus its attractiveness. In particular, the new timetable reduces the attractiveness of Geneva airport at the expense of Zurich or Basel for the population and businesses of the Jura Arc.
While some would like to ban commercial flights between Geneva and Zurich, the halving of the number of direct trains between these two cities demonstrates the inadequacy of this proposal. In this context, AERIA+ clarifies its position that the air link between Geneva and Zurich is a necessary complement to rail services, particularly as 90% of passengers make a connection in Zurich before travelling on to a more distant destination.
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Media contact:
Erik Simonin
General Secretary
+41 22 819 91 59
contact@aeria.ch