French strike puts a damper on first run of Léman Express
When completed, the Léman Express service will cover 45 stations and 230 kilometres of track in France and Switzerland.
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
The inaugural train service of the cross-border Léman Express service from Switzerland was only able to make it as far as Geneva due to strikes in France.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-Keystone/ac
The first train of the Léman Express left the town of Coppet on Lake Geneva on Sunday at 05:03. But because of the strike in France, it was not able to reach Annemasse and had to terminate in Geneva instead. Hailed as the largest cross-border regional rail network in Europe, The Léman Express covers 45 stations and 230 kilometres of track in France and Switzerland. The network will offer a fast cross-city rail link between Geneva’s central train station, Cornavin, and Annemasse in France, and extend into canton Vaud in Switzerland and the Haute-Savoie and Ain regions in France.
On its Sunday inaugural service, however, only a quarter of the trains from Switzerland will make it to Annemasse in France due to the strikes there. Despite the setback, those behind the project were happy that it had finally become a reality after years of struggle. The outgoing head of the Swiss Federal Railways Andreas Meyer called it a historic event.
“This is the most complex project I have ever had to implement,” he said. Dealing with many regulations, technical components and worksites, meant it took Swiss and French partners eight years of work on the CEVA segment (Cornavin/Eaux-Vives/Annemasse) for the Léman Express.
Once fully operational, officials estimate that 50,000 people will take one of the 40 Léman Express trains criss-crossing the network every day. They say the new rail network should help cut road traffic and commuting times. Currently, almost half a million vehicles cross Geneva’s borders from France and canton Vaud every day, snarling up local roads in rush hour.
More
More
Léman Express to ‘change face’ of Geneva: Swiss transport minister
This content was published on
Swiss minister says new Léman Express cross-border rail network will revolutionise transport between Switzerland and France.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
Swiss companies are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. In the past quarter, every single company in this country was the target of a cyber attack an average of 1097 times a week.
Swiss households faced 21 minutes of power outages in 2024
This content was published on
End customers experienced an average of 21 minutes of electricity interruption in 2024. This resulted in 0.34 power outages per capita. The duration of electricity interruptions increased by three minutes compared to the previous year.
Swiss citizens will be voting on restricting wind farm expansion
This content was published on
On Friday, the Association for the Protection of Nature and Democracy submitted two initiatives aimed at curbing the expansion of wind farms. More than 110,000 signatures have been collected.
E-bike riders regularly break speed limit in residential areas
This content was published on
Fast e-bikes regularly exceed the speed limit in residential areas. According to a new study with data on cyclists in Zurich, they regularly reach speeds of over 30 km/h.
This content was published on
Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to find staff, a problem made more acute by the increased bargaining power of employees and increased absenteeism.
Switzerland very close to tariff deal with the US, says Roche CEO
This content was published on
An understanding between Berne and Washington in the dispute over customs barriers is close: Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker is convinced of this.
This content was published on
Late on Thursday in Geneva, pro-Palestinian demonstrators attacked the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in the international organisations district. They poured red paint over the entrance to the building.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Léman Express to have a ‘major impact’ on Greater Geneva mobility
This content was published on
The Léman Express cross-border rail network opens on December 15 in Geneva and France. What effect will it have on traffic and urban development?
Switzerland sees record number of cross-border workers
This content was published on
Ticino and Geneva in particular saw marked increases in the number of workers crossing the border, thanks partly to a stable Swiss economy.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.