Eurostar has now resumed operating direct services between Amsterdam Centraal and London St Pancras for the first time since June last year, with trains taking as little as just 3hrs 57mins to get to the Dutch City..
The pause in services had been caused by renovations at Amsterdam Centraal which had prevented border controls taking place at the Dutch end. On trains travelling from Amsterdam, passengers were required to disembark in Brussels for passport control and security checks before travelling on to London.
That is now in the past – albeit with some further interruption planned as the direct trains from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London will initially only be temporarily back in service between 10 February and 29 March 2025. There will then be a further, shorter pause in service due to essential works at Amsterdam Centraal before direct services restart again at the end of April 2025.
Frequencies are currently scheduled for three direct per day, albeit only two on Saturdays, with the service will accommodate a maximum of 400 passengers per journey from Amsterdam, which Eurostar says is a 10% increase on previous levels. Eurostar intends to increase to 600 from 22 April, when a new exclusive boarding point will open, and 650 by September this year.
Eurostar has also stated an ambition is to expand to five daily services between London and Amsterdam by 2026.
The new terminal at Amsterdam Centraal features a new café with “a variety of seating areas designed for relaxation and productivity, including a low-stimulus space for added comfort”, as well as the all important ultra-fast wifi.
Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar, said: “We are delighted that direct Eurostar services between Amsterdam and London are back. This is more than just a train journey—it is a seamless connection between two vibrant capitals, offering our customers an efficient, comfortable, and sustainable way to travel.
“The tripling of capacity on the Netherlands-UK route is step one in a broader strategy to increase Eurostar’s network for customers all across Europe.”