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The Eurostar is a wonder of the modern world. Exactly how it’s possible to zip between continents in a tunnel 75 metres beneath the sea, we don’t know. What we do know is that plenty of us would much rather take a train than go to the airport, and the Eurostar has made that a whole lot easier.
Unfortunately, it looks like services between the UK and the Netherlands could be axed next year. It’s the culmination of months of trouble on the line: the service was disrupted in June this year due to construction on the tracks of Amsterdam Central station. Passengers have been disembarking in Brussels to go through passport control before changing trains to complete their journeys.
All this was meant to end in early 2025, but instead, Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave has revealed the operator may have to suspend services to the Netherlands ‘at some point’ next year. That would mean no more London-Paris-Amsterdam trains, and no more Paris-Rotterdam-Amsterdam trains.
The reasons for the possible suspension are a little murky. Cazenave has blamed ‘frustrating delays’ due to failing infrastructure on some parts of the line.
Eurostar, which turns 30 this year, started running direct trains from London St Pancras to Amsterdam via Rotterdam in 2018. The company has said it’s ready to bring back direct trains to Amsterdam next year as planned, and is prioritising the Netherlands in its growth plans.
The London-Paris route wouldn’t be affected, but that service has had other controversies in recent months. Residents in Kent have been asking Eurostar to restart services for smaller towns with stations on the line, but haven’t had any Eurostar trains stop there since the pandemic.
Time Out and the Eurostar
We’re big fans of the Eurostar here at Time Out so, naturally, we were pretty chuffed when the operator announced the return of Eurostar Snow this winter. And once you’re over the Channel, be sure to check out our guides to the best things to do in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam
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