Direct Trains To Major European Destination To Be Discontinued

There will be no direct Eurostar route available until 2025.

Eurostar, the popular train service connecting the UK and mainland Europe, is set to suspend its direct route from London St Pancras to Amsterdam starting next summer.

This route, which takes around six hours, will be halted due to renovations at Amsterdam's Centraal Station. The suspension will last from June 2024 to January 2025, with services not expected to resume until at least 2025.

The Dutch train operator NS expressed regret over the interruption, highlighting the joint efforts to establish the London-Amsterdam Eurostar route as an attractive alternative to air travel. However, due to the refurbishment plans, the direct service will be paused for approximately six months.

During this hiatus, passengers travelling from Amsterdam or Rotterdam to London will need to transfer at Brussels. The interruption also affects the direct London-Disneyland Paris service, requiring travellers to switch to a local train in Paris to reach the theme park.

Additionally, Eurostar has ceased services at Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International, and Ashford International stations in the UK, which were temporarily halted during the pandemic. Presently, departures from the UK are limited to London St Pancras.

This change in Eurostar's services comes amid emerging competition in the train travel sector. Richard Branson's Virgin Trains is poised to launch a new train service between the UK and Europe.

Meanwhile, start-up Evolyn aims to introduce London to Paris train services by 2025, posing a challenge to Eurostar's dominance in the UK-Europe train line market.

 

Source: thesun.co.uk