Airlines may be struggling, but buying a property in Switzerland has just become a lot more attractive with the news that Eurostar has introduced seven high speed routes to the country. The routes are being offered in conjunction with high-speed train operator Lyria, and are from London's St Pancras International to Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, Basel, Bern, Neuchatel and Vallorbe. Return fares start at under £100 and journey times also compare favourably with flying, particularly if you are travelling city centre to city centre.
For example, the shortest journey to Geneva, which involves changing at Paris's Gare de Lyon, is just under six and a half hours. If you factor in the time required to travel to Heathrow or Gatwick, checking in time at the airport, and transfers at the other end, this looks a very attractive proposition.
The new rail routes should prove a boon for anybody who owns or is planning to buy a ski apartment in Switzerland. Eurostar already provides extremely popular 'snow trains' to Bourg St Maurice, Moutiers and La Plagne in the French Alps, from December to April, with tickets for next season going on sale this month.
The new service to Switzerland will operate throughout the year, suiting those who have a four-seasons home in the country – as well as anybody who's relocated permanently. And using the train is particularly appealing to anyone who wants to have a property overseas but is worried about their carbon footprint. Eurostar says that, through the use of offsetting, all of its passenger journeys are now carbon neutral.
And the viability of using trains to reach that holiday home could be strengthened even further next year, when Eurostar's monopoly on the cross-Channel route comes to an end. Air France has already said it plans to launch a rival service with even faster trains that it says will reach Paris in under two hours – which will give quicker access to much of France. Other services could be launched by Virgin, Deutsche Bahn, and a service called TransManche Metro which would provide commuter services between south-east England and the Nord Pas de Calais region of France.
Alexander Garrett is a freelance property writer who contributes regularly to The Observer and British Airways' Business Life.