The timing is not without irony: the 4 February at 7.48 a.m., just a few days after theentry into force of Brexitthe management ofEurostar celebrated the inauguration of the direct service between Amsterdam and London. It was a symbolic inauguration, attended by Cora Van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Ankie Broekers-Knol, Dutch Secretary of State for Security and Justice, and Grant Shapps, British Secretary of State for Transport. Symbolic, because this new service will only make its real debut on April 30th next. And by the way, Eurostar has already been operating since 2018 a non-stop journey from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam. But the imminent launch of tickets - scheduled for 11 February - and the post-Brexit context, may have had a role to play in the organisation of this ceremony on Tuesday morning. " Brexit or no Brexit, from 30 April London will be closer thanks to Eurostar, which will take passengers from the centre of Amsterdam to the heart of London by four hours "Roger van Boxtel, Managing Director of NS, was quick to point out.
In concrete terms, from 30 April for Amsterdam - and on 18 May for Rotterdam - passengers will be able to travel to and from London without leaving their seats. Until now, the problem of passport controls meant that passengers had to disembark at Brussels. " The days when passengers had to get off the train in Brussels to go through passport control will soon be a thing of the past, as we look forward to direct high-speed returns from Amsterdam. "In fact, Grant Shapps, the UK's Secretary of State for Transport, is delighted. The Eurostar experience between London, Amsterdam and Rotterdam will therefore be closer to the route that the railway's French customers are used to from Paris-Nord. " This entirely direct route between London and Amsterdam marks a major step forward for high-speed rail, offering passengers a comfortable and convenient alternative to the traditional high-speed train. ecological to airlines in one of Europe's most popular leisure and business destinations "says a delighted Mike CooperChief Executive Officer of Eurostar.
