The Eurostar train journeys between London and Amsterdam will soon take an extra hour to complete.
Earlier it was announced that due to the renovation work on Amsterdam's Centraal railway station, Eurostar's train services between the Dutch capital and London were going to be suspended for around 11 months in 2024.
However, Eurostar has come up with a solution to keep this busy and popular train link up and running, even though it means it will take slightly longer to complete the train journey. Starting June 14 and lasting for six months, Eurostar will operate three daily direct services from London to Amsterdam, down from four, according to reports in the local media.
Currently, the train journey from Amsterdam to London takes around three hours 52 minutes to complete, but that is set to go up to four hours 45 minutes. Since the terminal in Amsterdam is set to close in June this year for an extensive refurbishment, passport checks cannot take place at the Dutch capital and are going to move stations.
The Eurostar train, instead, will stop at Brussels, where checks will be completed, adding extra time to the journey.
For passengers heading in the other direction, nothing will change, with staff in London still able to perform the necessary document checks at St. Pancras International.
Meanwhile, it is also understood that the number of trains to Brussels from Amsterdam will also increase to eight per day.
"We will then move the checks to our terminal in Brussels. That costs passengers about 45 minutes extra. Travellers no longer have to arrive extra early at Amsterdam Central Station due to the cancellation of passport controls. That saves time.
"Eurostar will also run more trains between Amsterdam and Brussels. That will be eight per day, which will add 1,800 seats," Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said in an interview.
The extra time is just a small hurdle for some passengers who take the service regularly and thought that the service was going to be suspended completely until next year.
In addition, this move was great for the international high-speed rail company too as it reported strong growth in 2023, carrying 18.6 million passengers, a 22% increase from 2022 and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The London-Amsterdam route, particularly, did well as it saw a 38% growth during this period.
Brexit continues to have an impact on train services in Europe. Last year, Eurostar ended its services from London to Disneyland Paris due to Brexit-related red tape. Eurostar's Disneyland Express, a direct high-speed rail link to the heart of the theme park east of Paris, had been running since 1996, except for a pause during the Covid crisis.
Since the UK's exit from the European Union, train stations receiving services from London have had to introduce passport and baggage checks. This required additional staff, time and space in stations.
