Railways: Switzerland
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Transport Secretary forges landmark deal to progress new Swiss rail link, published on 9 May 2025, how many meetings of the joint UK–Swiss working group have been held as of 10 October 2025; what the cost to the public purse was for those meetings; how many staff hours have been spent on the development of the Memorandum of Understanding; how many (a) staff meetings and (b) meetings with her Swiss counterparts have been held in relation to the development of the Memorandum of Understanding.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The landmark agreement signed with Switzerland earlier this year established a UK–Swiss Working Group which could pave the way for direct commercial services between the UK and Switzerland in future.
As of 10 October 2025, one meeting of the joint UK–Swiss Working Group has been held. This took place in the UK on 16 September 2025. The costs of hosting this working group, excluding staff time, are estimated to be less than £800. The next working group meeting will be planned for the first quarter of 2026.
Whilst it is not possible to quantify the number of staff hours dedicated to developing the Memorandum of Understanding, officials have held a number of internal meetings and discussions with Swiss counterparts to support its development.
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