Eurostar halts Amsterdam-to-London trains for half a year

Eurostar will suspend its services from the Netherlands to London for a period of six months starting from June next year. This is due to renovation work taking place in Amsterdam, which will prevent officials from processing cross-Channel passengers until 2025. Passengers traveling from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London will now be required to change trains in Brussels. However, outbound travel from London to the Netherlands will still be available. Despite negotiations between the Dutch government, the local railways operator, and Eurostar, an agreement was not reached to allow services to continue during the renovation work. Currently, four trains operate daily between London and Amsterdam, with stops in Brussels and Rotterdam. Although the disruption is shorter than initially anticipated, at six months instead of twelve, the suspension of the Netherlands-UK link is the latest challenge faced by Eurostar. The company has already faced difficulties with post-Brexit border checks, staff shortages, and the cancellation of direct services to Disneyland Paris and connections between London and Marseille via Lyon. Additionally, trains have not been stopping at two stations in Kent, Ashford, and Ebbsfleet, since 2020. The chief executive of Eurostar, Gwendoline Cazenave, has previously mentioned a decrease in passenger numbers by a third on the London to Paris route.