30.09.13
Direct services to Amsterdam from 2016
Eurostar will operate direct services between London and Amsterdam from December 2016, the company has announced.
Journey times will be around four hours, with Eurostar’s e320 trains interoperable with Dutch high-speed signalling systems. The service will see two trains running per day via Brussels and stopping at Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Centraal.
Train services could provide an alternative to air travel on the route, which is the largest international airline market in Europe.
Nicolas Petrovic, chief executive of Eurostar, said: “We have long been ambitious for expansion to new destinations so today’s announcement marks a major advance in our growth plans.
“With over three million passengers travelling by air between London and Amsterdam, this is one of Europe’s most popular routes. Our fast, comfortable, point-to-point service will greatly enhance the links between the UK and the near continent, revolutionising travel between these important financial and tourist hubs.”
In June, Eurostar rival Deutsche Bahn won permission to operate services from London to Berlin via the Channel Tunnel, and it also intends to run to Amsterdam. But it will be at least 2016 before services starts.
(Image of Amsterdam Centraal copyright Matthew Black)
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