Eurostar Amsterdam to London to finally launch

Eurostar Amsterdam to London will soon launch a direct service, 18 months after its first non-stop service from London to Amsterdam commenced.

Eurostar London to Amsterdam was launched over a year ago

The service is due to begin early next year. As it stands, passengers on the return leg from Amsterdam to London have to take a Thalys train and go through security and customs checks at Brussels Midi, where they then board a Eurostar train back to the UK.

However, checks will soon be able to be carried out at Amsterdam Central and Rotterdam Central, meaning Eurostar can run a direct service for the first time. The agreement between the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the UK is expected to be signed in October.

A spokesperson for Eurostar told Telegraph Travel: “Our Amsterdam route has grown in popularity, and we continue to see strong demand from customers, which is why we introduced a third daily service in June this year.

This is testament to the ease and comfort of the high-speed rail link between the UK and The Netherlands.

“We’re looking forward to progressing the direct return as soon as possible.”

However, the Dutch State Secretary for Justice and Security, Ankie Broekers-Knol, cautioned that if the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal on 31 October, it could complicate customs arrangements.

The response to the London to Amsterdam service has been positive since it launched in February 2018. In the first six months, more than 130,000 travellers ditched the plane to take the train instead. Eurostar said that this many passengers choosing the train over air travel saved more than 7,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

In June this year, Eurostar increased the service to three trains per day to meet demand.

“We know that many passengers do not enjoy the experience of flying short haul,” Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar’s former CEO, told Telegraph Travel on the maiden journey from London to Amsterdam in 2018. “Now they have another choice.”

At a glance Eurostar journey times

London to Amsterdam – 3 hours 50 minutes

London to Rotterdam – 3 hours 10 minutes

London to Paris – 2 hours 15 minutes

London to Brussels – 1 hour 51 minutes

London to Marseille – 6 hours 27 minutes

Gavin Haines, who rode the inaugural service to Amsterdam for Telegraph Travel, said of the experience: “The train is better for the environment, more refined and more productive for business passengers; indeed there are plug sockets and free Wi-Fi aboard the new e320 carriages used on this route.

“That’s not all. The seats are more comfortable, there’s more legroom and there are no tedious liquid restrictions or baggage charges to worry about; I was even able to take my fold-up bike, which wouldn’t have been practical on the plane.”

The London to Amsterdam service currently takes 3 hours 52 minutes, with tickets starting from £35. The return leg starts from £51.50.

Click Here View Free Live Cams! NO Credit Card Needed!