NS International has announced that Eurostar train services between the Netherlands and London, UK will be suspended for a period of six months due to renovation works at Amsterdam Central station.
This announcement follows efforts from the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management, ProRail, NS and Eurostar to determine how to continue the direct train service between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and London during the renovation works.
The companies have now concluded that the service will have to be suspended for a period of six months from June 2024 to January 2025. NS states that this outcome is a great disappointment as it has been working to make the Eurostar to London an attractive alternative to air travel.
“It has been a particularly difficult puzzle to piece together. If there had been a simple solution, all parties would have seized it with both hands. Unfortunately, after various investigations, we have to conclude that such a solution does not exist. Together, we have chosen to take a step back in the second half of 2024 and not run Eurostar directly to London for a period of time. Passengers travelling from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London will have to change trains once in Brussels.”
The planned renovation works will see the current terminal at Amsterdam Central close at the end of June 2024.
Meanwhile, a new terminal will be built in the Amstel Passage, which is expected to open in January 2025. This new, larger terminal will increase capacity for Eurostar services, ultimately allowing more passengers to travel directly from Amsterdam to London.
During the renovation works, the Eurostar to Brussels and Paris will continue to run directly from Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam Centraal.
