Eurostar Announces Six-Month Cancellation

EUROSTAR recently revealed that its service from Amsterdam to London is to be cancelled for a six-month period.

The surprise announcement, which is scheduled to come into effect next year, from Dutch Railways (NS) revealed a temporary halt to the rapidly growing Eurostar service between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and London.

The suspension, slated to last from June 2024 until January 2025, is a direct result of the refurbishment at Amsterdam’s Centraal station, according to a report from the Independent.

Impact Of Station Renovation

The issue was highlighted on Twitter/X by travel expert Simon Calder who posted: ‘Eurostar trains from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London will be cancelled from June 2024-January 2025, Dutch Railways has just said.

Eurostar will still run London-Rotterdam-Amsterdam; the problem is frontier formalities while Centraal station is renovated.’

The upgrade is expected to temporarily reduce the station’s ability to accommodate London-bound passengers, especially in light of the more detailed post-Brexit checks.

During this period, Eurostar trains will travel empty from Amsterdam to Brussels, where London-bound passengers will board.

Adjustments For Travellers

Passengers travelling from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London will now face the inconvenience of changing trains in Brussels. This decision came after prolonged discussions among NS, Eurostar, ProRail, and the Dutch government.

An NS representative expressed their disappointment: ‘Unfortunately, we have had to conclude that there will be a period in which there will be no direct train to London from Amsterdam. That period is expected to be six months (approximately June 2024–January 2025).’

Looking Forward

Despite the current challenges, Eurostar remains focused on maintaining service quality. Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar Group’s CEO, emphasised their commitment: ‘Eurostar has always aimed to find a solution that would have the least possible impact on customers, the environment and its business.’

She also noted the reduced impact, from an initially anticipated 12 months to now six months, and the ongoing efforts to mitigate inconvenience. ‘As part of this work, we will still run services directly between London and Amsterdam one way as a minimum,’ she concluded.

The new terminal, scheduled to open in January 2025, is expected to significantly improve the direct Amsterdam-London travel experience, offering a more appealing alternative to air travel.