Eurostar finally launches direct trains from Amsterdam to London

Trains have been running from London to Amsterdam since 2018, and now there is a return service 

Eurostar will launch direct trains from Amsterdam to London this April, the cross-Channel rail operator has announced.

Having launched a direct service from London to both Amsterdam and Rotterdam back in 2018, passengers wishing to travel back to London from the Netherlands with the service have had to change trains in Brussels to go through passport control and security screening.

This was a "temporary measure" while the UK and Dutch governments completed an agreement which was due to be in place by the end of 2019, but progressed slower than expected.

The new commercial route from Amsterdam Centraal to London St Pancras will begin on April 30, and will not only save travellers the hassle of swapping trains, it'll also cut the journey time down by around an hour, with the new route expected to take four hours and nine minutes.

All aboard: Eurostar is to start running direct trains in both directions
PA

A direct service from Rotterdam will follow on May 18, and tickets for both are due to go on sale from February 11, with fares starting at £35 each way.

There are currently three outbound services a day from the UK to the Netherlands. The direct inbound journey from Amsterdam to London will kick off with two services, with the idea being to increase this to a third, and then a fourth.

The Eurostar offers a more sustainable way to travel to Europe, with a journey between London and Amsterdam resulting in 80 per cent less carbon per passenger than the equivalent flight, according to the company.

Flying the flag: The new service will start in April
Getty Images for Eurostar

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport in the UK, said: "We’re continuing to invest in modern, efficient transport links with the continent so our businesses and tourism industry can flourish. The days of passengers being forced to decamp from the train at Brussels to file through passport control will soon be over, as we look forward to direct, return, high-speed services to Amsterdam and beyond."

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Meanwhile, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands, said: "The direct connection makes the train journey to London easier and faster. Checks in Brussels will no longer be necessary, saving travellers an hour of travel time. This way the train really becomes a fully-fledged alternative to the plane."

So far over half a million travellers have taken the direct journey from the UK to the Netherlands since it launched.

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