Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with her Swiss counterpart on the potential merits of direct rail connections between London and Basel.

The Government fully supports the growth of international rail passenger services, including potential new direct connections, and recognises the socio-economic benefits that these provide for UK citizens and businesses. DfT officials regularly engage with their Swiss counterparts to discuss the potential merits of direct rail connections between the UK and Switzerland, as well as supporting the work of industry partners to explore their feasibility. The Secretary of State and the Rail Minister hope to discuss this shortly with Swiss counterparts, including exploring plans to formalise our cooperation on this matter.