For seven to eleven months next year, travelers to London may not have direct contact with London. Due to major renovations at Amsterdam Central Station, the current terminal will have to be demolished, so there is no room in the station to carry out mandatory baggage and passport control.
Secretary of State Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management) said this in a statement Letter to Parliament. The aim is to build a new Eurostar terminal on the Amstel line under the station in 2025. It is currently a freely accessible path under the station and has since been closed. But soon the route will be converted into a terminal, which will provide more capacity for passengers traveling to the United Kingdom. As the current terminal will eventually be demolished and the new terminal will not open until 2025, the Eurostar will not be able to stop at Amsterdam Central during that period.
‘Negative consequences for passengers’
State Secretary Heijnen expressed his regret in the letter: “I am deeply disappointed that no solution can be found for the full term. That means between June 2024 and May 2025, trains will not run temporarily. Leave Amsterdam safely to London.
He notes that he is aware that this situation has negative consequences for passengers and that he has ambitions to replace short-haul flights with trains. “250 passengers per train (4 trains per day and 5 in future) cannot safely depart Amsterdam Central directly to the UK.” In the coming months, he will liaise with NS and ProRail to further develop outcomes and planning to gain insight into how services can be better designed in the meantime. He also explores whether the ministry can play a role in reducing harm. She is closely associated with Eurostar.
Departing from Rotterdam is not an option
Eurostar also stresses that high-speed connectivity will not be available in the long term, which is not a positive development from an environmental perspective. Eurostar calculates that 21 additional flights will need to be dispatched daily to replace Schiphol and London. “It’s really unfortunate,” Eurostar said.
The international carrier says there is no alternative option of using Rotterdam Central as a departure point, as only a maximum of 160 passengers will be allowed to board the train. This is significantly less than the 265 passengers that can board in Amsterdam. Eurostar says it is not economically feasible for them to leave Rotterdam, given the terminal’s limited capacity. Other possible departure points such as Schiphol station were also not possible due to lack of space. The train does not stop at this station either.
Transfer to Amsterdam South
In the future, the Eurostar departure point will eventually be moved to Amsterdam Zuide station, which will be significantly expanded especially for this purpose. However, this move will only take place from 2036 onwards. This means that Eurostar trains will change location three times: first to the alternate terminal, then to the old location, and finally to Amsterdam Zuid.
The renovation of Amsterdam Central Station is necessary to allow more frequent trains in the future and to make room for international trains. Platforms, railway tunnels will be expanded. The work is expected to last until 2030.
Rover: ‘Travellers in the Cold’
Travelers Association Rover has reacted angrily to the situation. “It would be unheard of if a planned renewal ensured passengers could no longer make the standard journey to London,” says director Freak Boss. “It leaves passengers out in the cold for a long time. A popular train needs to grow and thrive, you’re not going to prune it.” He has asked the Secretary of State for a better solution so that all passengers can always continue to use the rail link from the Netherlands to London. “Earlier, the Secretary of State said Eurostar’s departure was unacceptable. And now she has to comply,” Freak Boss continues.
