Eurostar set to suspend its London-Amsterdam trains for up to a year
Eurostar's Amsterdam routes face being suspended for nearly a year, due to upcoming station renovations.
Dutch infrastructure secretary Vivianne Heijnen has warned that no Eurostar trains will be able to run to or from Amsterdam Centraal, the capital's main station, from June 2024 until as late as May 2025, while it is renovated, media in the country reported.
A Eurostar spokesperson said: "We have received confirmation from the Dutch Government that Eurostar will not be able to run the Amsterdam-Route from June 2024 until April 2025.
"The proposal to move the Dutch departure/arrivals lounge from Amsterdam to Rotterdam is not viable due to capacity and safety reasons. Should this be the only option offered by the Ministry, Eurostar Group will be left with no choice but to stop its Amsterdam direct routes.
"Eurostar is open to compromise and is working with stakeholders to find a solution."
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The highspeed train will not be heading into the Dutch capital for 11 months (PA)Eurostar services to and from Amsterdam are to be suspended as the project to expand the size of the international terminal at Centraal station will involve demolishing existing facilities used to conduct passport and security checks.
The operator runs four trains in each direction between London and Amsterdam, with plans to add a fifth service.
The capacity of trains from Amsterdam is limited due to restrictions on how many passengers can be processed.
EES is expected to involve travellers from non-EU countries such as the UK having their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken to register them on a database the first time they enter a member state.
There are fears the scheme, which was due to be introduced this year but has been repeatedly delayed, will cause long queues for travellers.
Once it is introduced, UK tourists visiting most EU countries will also be hit by a seven euro (£6) fee under the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias).
This must be paid to obtain permission to enter for the following three years.
Extra passport checks due to the UK's withdrawal from the EU are already limiting the number of passengers who can be processed at London St Pancras.
The final train from London to Disneyland Paris departed on Monday morning (NurPhoto via Getty Images)Meanwhile the rail service's direct routes to Disneyland Paris ended this week.
The final train from London St Pancras to Marne-la-Vallee, a station next to the theme park, departed at 10.34am on Monday as the operator focuses on its core routes to Paris and Brussels.
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Eurostar's direct trains to Disneyland Paris have been popular with British families since they began running in 1996 and has provided a quick and environmentally friendly way to reach the theme park.
Passengers travelling on the route in future will be forced to change trains, adding time and complexity to their journeys, and potentially pushing more passengers off trains onto planes.
In August last year, when Eurostar announced its decision to end the direct services, the company said: "Whilst we continue to recover financially from the pandemic and monitor developments in the proposed EU Entry Exit (EES) system, we need to focus on our core routes to ensure we can continue to provide the high level of service and experience that our customers rightly expect.
"Passengers can still enjoy high-speed rail travel between London and Disneyland Paris via Paris or Lille."
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