Eurostar's direct train service from Amsterdam to London, the sleek, high-speed train connecting Britain to northwestern Europe, will be suspended for six months next year, the train company said.
The closure, which will begin in June, is a result of renovations at Amsterdam Central Station, where Eurostar departs for London. Dutch national railway company sözcüCarola Belderbos said that due to the work, the terminal that passengers use to pass through security and passport control in Amsterdam will not be accessible.
The terminal has a capacity of approximately 250 people. A larger terminal with almost twice as much capacity for Eurostar passengers is being built in a different part of the station, but is not expected to be ready until January 2025, Ms Belderbos said.
“It's a shame,” she said, adding that the train company was trying to persuade people to take trains instead of planes for short distances. The flight from Amsterdam to London takes less than an hour. The train journey from Amsterdam to London takes approximately four hours, with stops in Rotterdam, Brussels, in the Netherlands, and Lille, France.
According to announcements previously reported by Dutch news media, the closure of the Amsterdam-London route, which was implemented in 2020, was initially expected to last a full year. Service will still be interrupted, but this period has now been halved.
Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar Group, said in her statement: “Our focus should now be on how we can offer Eurostar customers the best experience and travel connections during this period,” and added: “We will continue to operate services directly between the two countries.” London and Amsterdam are at least one way.”
It will still be possible to travel from Amsterdam to the UK by train during the service disruption, but passengers will need to change in Brussels.
All passport checks for passengers traveling from London to Amsterdam will be completed at St. It is held at Pancras International station.
Eurostar has struggled during the pandemic, with passenger numbers almost completely eliminated. Britain's exit from the European Union has compounded its woes, forcing the train company to limit the number of passengers it carries due to longer waiting times at passport control.
The large number of tourists coming to Amsterdam from England and other countries puts pressure on the city. According to the city's website, nearly 2021 million tourists visited the city in 9. This number peaked in 2019 with approximately 22 million tourists.
