Eurostar launched high-speed trains between Amsterdam and London this week forecasting the service “should capture” one quarter of air traffic on the busy route.
The inaugural service departed London St Pancras to Rotterdam and Amsterdam on Wednesday at 08:31, with a journey time of three hours one minute to Rotterdam and three hours 41 minutes to Amsterdam.
The service will initially run twice a day.
Eurostar chief executive Mike Cooper said: “The departure of our first commercial service to Amsterdam represents a historic milestone for Eurostar and the growth of international high-speed rail. The potential for our new route is significant.”
In a statement Getlink, formerly known as Eurotunnel and the parent company of Eurostar, hailed the launch as “a very powerful sign of confidence in the strength of cross-Channel traffic on the eve of the UK leaving the EU”.
The company forecast: “The new Eurostar service, in the medium term, should capture a little over a quarter of the air traffic on the route, equivalent to more than a million passengers per year.”
It noted “the many obstacles overcome to gain agreement between all parties across four different countries” required to launch the service.
However, the company said: “Border controls remain to be improved.”