Eurostat has announced that it will continue to provide direct Amsterdam-London service throughout the summer, despite previous plans to end this service for renovations. The rail operator had initially stated that it would halt its train services between Amsterdam and London for 11 months in order to renovate its main railway station in the capital city. However, Eurostar has found a solution to maintain the Amsterdam-London service while still carrying out the necessary renovations.
According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the cross-Channel terminal at Amsterdam Centraal station will remain operational until June 14 and will then be closed for six months for renovation works. As a result, Eurostar will continue to offer limited direct trains from London to Amsterdam and a return service with a stop in Brussels for those traveling between the Netherlands and England capitals.
Passengers on Amsterdam to London trains will now experience a 48-minute stop at the operator’s terminal in Brussels for customs checks, passenger processing, and other formalities. This will result in a longer journey time, lasting around four hours and 40 minutes, instead of the previous four hours.
Despite the increased journey time, the direct service between Amsterdam and London is considered valuable and more convenient for passengers. Eurostar has reported an increased number of passengers using its services, with exceptional growth in 2023. The routes that saw the highest growth from the UK last year were London – Amsterdam (38 per cent), London – Brussels (33 per cent), and London – Paris (25 per cent).
The CEO of Eurostar, Gwendoline Cazenave, has stated that the door-to-door travel time will remain the same for passengers, as they will no longer be required to arrive early for their Amsterdam departure. This news comes as a relief for travelers looking to journey between these two popular European destinations.
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