# Eurostar London - Amsterdam launches 4 April 2018



## jamesontheroad (Feb 9, 2018)

After years of planning and months of testing, Eurostar has today announced that two daily round trips will operate direct between London St. Pancras International and Amsterdam-Centraal from 4 April 2018.

Tickets are on sale from 20 February, and will start at £35 one way (about $50).

Customs facilities are under construction but not yet in place for passengers to clear customs and immigration in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Departing from the UK, there will be a 30 minute minimum check-in time, and all checks will be completed before boarding at St Pancras. Departing from Amsterdam and Rotterdam, passengers can board any time up to departure but will be required to de-train in Brussels and clear immigration before re-boarding the same train. The net effect on end to end journey times will, in fact, be negligible, because the 30 minute stop in Brussels makes up for the expected 30 minute check-in time once facilities for departure checks are ready in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Info on Eurostar's website here: https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/train/netherlands


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## jamesontheroad (Feb 9, 2018)

Forgot to include to the already-updated info on Seat61.com here.

Trains depart London at 08:31 (Mon-Sat) and 17:31 (Sun-Fri); in the opposite direction they depart Amsterdam at 07:48 (Mon-Sat) and 16:48 (Sun-Fri). The journey will take around 3h 41m eastbound, just over 4 hours westbound.


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## jis (Feb 9, 2018)

Something for me to do on my next Thanksgiving trip to the UK


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## Bob Dylan (Feb 9, 2018)

One of my Bucket List items if I ever get to visit Europe again!(the Asian Bullet Trains are Top of the List)


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## Devil's Advocate (Feb 9, 2018)

jis said:


> Something for me to do on my next Thanksgiving trip to the UK


&


Bob Dylan said:


> One of my Bucket List items if I ever get to visit Europe again!(the Asian Bullet Trains are Top of the List)


 I'll probably be in Japan for TG but I agree this is an attractive target to add to the holiday vacation list. There's a nonstop to London only an hour away from my home and with an open jaw from AMS you could arbitrage the APD.


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## Anderson (Feb 15, 2018)

DA,
I think we're going to miss one another by like two weeks. I'm _finally_ taking care of going to Japan for about a week in December.


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## cirdan (Feb 15, 2018)

I wonder where in Amsterdam they want to build a check in and secure area. The platforms there all see pretty intense use and reserving one platform purely for a twice-daily service doesn't sound realistic to me. It's not like Brussels or Paris Nord where setting aside a dedicated Eurostar area was not such a big deal.


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## jamesontheroad (Feb 15, 2018)

cirdan said:


> I wonder where in Amsterdam they want to build a check in and secure area. The platforms there all see pretty intense use and reserving one platform purely for a twice-daily service doesn't sound realistic to me. It's not like Brussels or Paris Nord where setting aside a dedicated Eurostar area was not such a big deal.


My understanding is that construction is under way for a sterile area on Amsterdam Centraal platform 15, which is the northernmost track facing the IJ. Twice a day this will be closed, swept and kept sterile for passengers after checking in at concourse level.

At Rotterdam, work is underway to make Platform 1 deeper, which will project out and face onto track 2. It will be renumbered platform 2. Info here. Like Amsterdam, there'll be a 30 minute deadline for check-in.

In both cases, I believe the platforms will be able to be opened up for regular services.

From this article on Railway Gazette:



> The operator confirmed that the UK and Dutch governments had agreed to introduce so-called ‘juxtaposed’ customs checks in Amsterdam and at Rotterdam Centraal ‘by the end of 2019’, which would enable passengers to clear security before boarding a direct Eurostar service to London as they already do at Paris-Nord and Brussels Midi.


The nature of Antwerp station, which has only two tracks at the very lowest level, means Eurostar will not be able to serve the station.


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