Western Swiss cities join forces to protest train timetable changes

A train arrives at Neuchâtel station in western Switzerland, May 4, 2023. © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Seven towns and cities in western Switzerland, including Geneva and Neuchâtel, have joined forces to protest a “two-speed” national railway network.

Changes to the new 2025 train timetable announced by Swiss Federal Railways (CFF/SBB) on Friday, which include cutting the Jura-Geneva direct service, have caused consternation among officials in parts of western Switzerland.

In an official appeal made on Monday, seven towns and cities, including Yverdon, Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Geneva, Biel, Delémont and Morges, have written to the federal authorities to revise their plans.

The hourly direct train journey from Neuchâtel to Geneva currently takes 1 hour 9 minutes; another route with a change in Lausanne takes 1 hour 36 minutes. The new timetable, which will be effective from December 2023, proposes to cancel the direct route for a ten-year period due to construction work.

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The towns and cities denounce a “two-speed” rail network, fearing a less attractive train service.

The change “will deteriorate the rail service in a large part of western Switzerland for at least ten years, as well as the night train service from Geneva to Basel,” the signatories say.

The frequency of trains between the Jura region and Lausanne will be doubled, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages in the eyes of those concerned. The change will also have a major impact on passengers travelling to Geneva or Geneva Airport from the Jura region, they say.

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In a statement published on Monday, CFF/SBB said it would meet the municipalities concerned and the management of Geneva Airport in the coming weeks for talks.

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The company nonetheless argues that the new timetable “brings more stability and punctuality”. At the cost of a few extra minutes on certain routes, it allows for the development and maintenance work “essential on one of the busiest networks in the world”.

CFF/SBB said the updated timetable offers a more frequent service: two connections per hour. It added that the direct Lausanne-Delémont-Basel link would be reintroduced in December 2025. It said “the towns and regions on the Pied du Jura line are of prime importance”, as shown by the “major investments” planned.