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Founded in Geneva in 1996 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, FEDRE has always focused on cross-border regions. In 2023, it formed a partnership with Crédit Agricole next bank to study the border effect along Switzerland’s periphery in various fields, some of which go unnoticed by the general public. Following the first issue, which addressed food aid, the Founded in Geneva in 1996 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, FEDRE has always focused on cross-border regions. In 2023, it formed a partnership with Crédit Agricole next bank to study the border effect along Switzerland’s periphery in various fields, some of which escape the attention of the general public. Following Issue 1, which addressed food aid; Issue 2, which tackled challenges in the healthcare sector; Issue 3, which presented a vital topic for our regions—water; Issue 4, focused on culture; and Issue 5, addressing the sensitive issue of who compensates unemployed cross-border workers, and Issue 6, which focused on the idea of creating a cross-border resident card, this issue is dedicated to the development of mobility in cross-border urban areas.
According to Larousse, the Latin prefix " trans" conveys the idea of change and crossing. The term "trans-border" is thus intrinsically linked to the concept of mobility, as embodied by the frequent crossing of a border.
Urban mobility: a specific issue
Along Switzerland’s borders, there are primarily two metropolitan areas that straddle one or two borders: the trinational European Eurodistrict of Basel (also known as 3Land) and Greater Geneva. In metropolitan areas—which, by definition, are densely populated and characterized by commuting patterns—the issue arises in different terms than in areas where housing is more dispersed. Moreover, it is here that mobility infrastructure is concentrated, according to a priority system that often disadvantages less urbanized regions.
Thus, the Léman Express, operated by Lémanis —a company established through an agreement between SBB and SNCF—has become an iconic project of the Greater Geneva area. Similarly, in Eurodistrict 3 Land, a whole range of services has been developed, including a Triregio fare and schedule coordination platform linking the Northwest Switzerland Transport (TNW) system in Lörrach, Germany (RVL), the SNCF, and the company Tram3 in the Saint-Louis metropolitan area, along with various tram and regional rail (S-Bahn) projects and even the construction of a new bridge over the Rhine to improve connections. Meanwhile, the contrast we mentioned sees the Swiss Jura Arc despairing over the end (since May 2023) of direct rail connections to Geneva for areas beyond Biel, while when leaving Greater Geneva to head toward Saint-Gingolph and the Valais, one can only regret the lack of a complete rail link south of Lake Geneva, dreaming—without much hope—of seeing the legendary “Tonkin Line” restored one day.
So, success in urban areas, but mixed results elsewhere. But Lémanis’s CEO is clear: of the 70,000 passengers who board the trains it operates each day (a 20% increase from 2022 to 2023), only a quarter are cross-border commuters. The majority of trips, therefore, are from France to France (Thonon-Annemasse, for example) or from Switzerland to Switzerland (Coppet-Geneva, for example).
This means that the purely cross-border component of mobility within Greater Geneva accounts for only a very small proportion of the total, which tends to make it more akin to a traditional urban area without a border, such as Greater Lyon.
Managing sometimes conflicting priorities
In an urban area, the more infrastructure that facilitates mobility develops, the farther people can live from their workplace, resulting in longer commuting distances. This trend holds true everywhere over time. And this should lead us to question the lifestyle this implies, and in particular whether it aligns with the environmental goals enshrined in legislation. Admittedly, urban trains and subways, if powered by alternative energy sources, have a limited carbon footprint. But what about car trips to reach the nearest station, where park-and-ride facilities are sometimes insufficient in number, poorly suited, or have inconsistent rates—as is still the case in the French Chablais region? Above all, there is the question of building housing for an ever-growing population. Yet new French legislation imposes on municipalities the ecological goal of “zero net land take” by 2050, with an intermediate target of halving, by 2031, the amount of developable land not offset by land returned to nature.
In this context, what unforeseen consequences might arise in cross-border metropolitan areas such as Greater Basel (3Land) or Greater Geneva?… Perhaps a slowdown in housing and infrastructure construction, leading ultimately to a smaller increase in the number of cross-border commuters?… Or, alternatively, the need for these commuters to live farther and farther away, which will increase commute times and worsen the carbon footprint?
There is one final possibility—and by no means the least likely—which is that French municipalities, which are also required to provide 20–25% social housing when they have more than 3,500 residents, might choose to build high-rise buildings. This would mean seeing skyscrapers spring up to meet an environmental imperative—which would be a real paradox!
Mobility isn't everything
The success of transportation infrastructure, particularly in the Greater Geneva area, can obscure a key fact: mobility isn’t everything. Prof. Vincent Kaufmann of EPFL reminds us that while increased travel and interaction between people is a positive factor, it is not enough on its own to forge a shared regional identity on both sides of the border.
At the same time, he argues, students should be given the opportunity to attend schools on the other side of the border, the region’s history and culture should be taught, language learning (in the Basel region) should be encouraged, and the establishment of sports clubs, as well as cross-border events and festivals, should be promoted. Thus, supported by greater mobility and expanded opportunities for interaction, a true cross-border region would have a chance to emerge. As we can see, this is a medium-term process that cannot be reduced to the flow of cross-border workers or a single tram or commuter rail line.