Eurostar’s direct service from London to Amsterdam looks set to be suspended for almost a year as the station in the Dutch capital undergoes renovations.
The cross-Channel rail firm may be forced to stop running trains from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam from June 2024 to April 2025.
Eurostar currently offers four trains a day each way between London and Amsterdam’s Centraal station.
Dutch infrastructure minister Vivianne Heijnen has said the renovation combined with the large amount of space required for pre-departure checks of British passengers could mean the high-speed rail link is suspended for as long as 11 months.
Eurostar launched the Amsterdam and Rotterdam service in 2018 and has carried 1.6 million passengers since then.
Rotterdam Centraal is not a viable alternative because only 160 passengers are allowed to board the train there because of post-Brexit constraints.
On Monday, Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave had a meeting with Dutch partners ProRail and NS [Netherlands Railways] as well as the infrastructure ministry in The Hague to discuss options.
A statement from Eurostar said: “All parties have agreed to keep working together to find a solution/compromise that will allow Eurostar to continue to welcome travellers in Amsterdam Centraal, and thus offer a direct high-speed rail service between Amsterdam and London.”
Cazenave said: “We are convinced we will together find a suitable solution to allow a direct service between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and London.
“Eurostar is fully committed to playing a role in the Dutch sustainability policy by continuing to offer a green travel alternative to its Dutch customers.”
News of the suspension came as the final Eurostar Disneyland Express train left London for the theme park near Paris on Monday morning.
The direct high speed rail link has run since 1996 but is now being suspended due to post-Brexit red tape caused by the need to stamp passports.
Eurostar has still not reopened its Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations after Covid.