Eurostar forced to suspend London-Amsterdam route
Eurostar’s London to Amsterdam route will be suspended for at least a year due to engineering works in the Dutch capital, it has been confirmed today.
A spokesperson for Eurostar said: “We have received confirmation from the Dutch government that Eurostar will not be able to run the Amsterdam route from June 2024 until April 2025.”
Eurostar Group will be forced to cancel journeys on the route due to engineering works at the station, which involve getting rid of the current facilities used to conduct passport and security checks.
Dutch media first reported the plans on Friday, after the Dutch transport minister Vivianne Heijnen held a briefing confirming the developments. A best-case scenario would see the works end within seven months, according to reports.
The spokesperson added: “The proposal to move the Dutch departure/arrivals lounge from Amsterdam to Rotterdam is not viable due to capacity and safety reasons. Should this be the only option offered by the ministry, Eurostar Group will be left with no choice but to stop its Amsterdam direct routes.”
“Eurostar is open to compromise and is working with stakeholders to find a solution.”
Eurostar’s chief executive is set to meet the Dutch infrastructure minister later today, with an outcome expected to be confirmed the following morning.
The Amsterdam link is hugely popular and allows Brits searching for a quick city break to get to the heart of the capital in just four hours.
More than 2m British nationals visit the Netherlands each year, according to the government, and half of those go to Amsterdam.
Mark Smith, a travel expert who runs the seat61 travel website, said: “Eurostar has successfully built up the London-Amsterdam train service in the face of major airline competition at a time when more and more people want low-carbon transport. “
“The route had already exceeded expectations, and they had plans to increase service up to five trains each way. A year’s break is a serious setback, station modernisation should not come before actually providing a train service.”
Cat Jones, CEO and founder of the London-based travel agency Byway, said: “Reducing the number of stations the Eurostar serves between the UK and Europe will even further slow the adoption of carbon friendlier holidays.”
“With short haul flights emitting 26X the carbon of international rail, we need to make it significantly easier and not harder to take train holidays urgently.”
The announcement that the London–Amsterdam route could shut came at the same time as Eurostar’s last London–Disneyland departure today.
The London-Paris route was removed as a result of post-Brexit bureaucracy, which has vastly increased the time taken and space needed to check in passengers.
Jones added: “The government needs to get a move on to sort this Brexit blowback issue so they’re not hindering climate-critical solutions like Byway and Eurostar.”