A pilot TGV INOUI service will connect Brussels to Strasbourg and Basel starting in July 2027, but the train will not stop in Luxembourg. The exclusion of the Grand Duchy has sparked political reactions, especially since there used to be a direct Brussels–Basel rail link via Luxembourg.
Luxembourg will not be included in the new high-speed rail service between Brussels, Strasbourg, and Basel, which operators in Belgium, France, and Switzerland plan to launch in the summer of 2027.
The pilot project calls for a TGV INOUI train to run on weekends, with a travel time of approximately five and a half hours between the Belgian capital and the Swiss city of Basel.
Although the route will pass through eastern France, it will bypass Luxembourg, a situation that has raised questions about the country’s connection to major European rail corridors.
The train will run three times a week
According to the schedule announced by SNCF Voyageurs, the French passenger rail operator, the TGV will depart from Brussels around 7:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The train will stop at:
- Lille-Europe;
- the TGV station at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport;
- Champagne-Ardenne TGV;
- Meuse TGV;
- Lorraine TGV;
- Strasbourg;
- Basel.
Arrival in Basel is scheduled for around 12:30 p.m. The return train will depart at approximately 2:00 p.m. and arrive in Brussels around 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are expected to go on sale in the spring of 2027.
Luxembourg did not participate in the discussions
MP Meris Šehović, a representative of the Luxembourgish environmentalist party Déi Gréng, demanded an explanation from the government, noting that in the past there was an international Brussels–Basel connection that passed through Luxembourg.
“This exclusion raises the issue of the country’s integration into the major European rail networks,” the MP stated in a question addressed to the government.
Luxembourg’s Minister of Transportation, Yuriko Backes, replied that her ministry was not involved in the discussions or preparations for the launch of the new service.
According to her, the introduction of a direct connection between Luxembourg and the new route seems unlikely, as the TGV will operate on a commercial basis, without public subsidies dedicated to the service.
Authorities will monitor the project’s results
The Luxembourg government states that it will monitor the progress of the pilot service and will discuss the conclusions drawn after the launch with authorities in Belgium and France.
The Ministry of Transportation says it is continuing to analyze the possibilities for developing new international trains, either direct or with connections at stations in neighboring countries.
The new route will provide a fast connection between Brussels, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Strasbourg, and Basel; however, the chosen route favors France’s high-speed infrastructure and avoids a detour through Luxembourg.
The Grand Duchy, Also Absent from the European High-Speed Rail Map
This is not the first time Luxembourg has been omitted from European plans for the development of high-speed rail connections.
In November 2025, the country was not included on the map presented by the European Commission for connecting the Union’s major cities via high-speed trains by 2040.
Luxembourg was one of the five missing European capitals, alongside Helsinki, Dublin, Nicosia, and Valletta.
Luxembourg authorities explained at the time that the country’s small size, as well as technical and environmental constraints, limit the possibility of building its own high-speed line. Instead, the government is counting on improving connections with the networks in Belgium, France, and Germany.
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