Initially when I saw this news I thought it was a misprint.
But indeed this crazy situation might happen in 2024 owing to rebuilding works taking place at Amsterdam Centraal.
As many of you will know Amsterdam Centraal is the main station used by Eurostar and it is very busy.
The rebuilding works will mean that it will not be possible for Eurostar to use the special platform along with its terminal and UK Border facilities.
Dutchnews.nl reports that MPs were informed of this move by junior infrastructure minister Vivianne Heijnen.
Quoted by Dutch News the minister said the situation is unacceptable, adding that “Eurostar is important for international train travel and for the shift from air to train over shorter distances”.
Indeed both the Netherlands government and Schiphol want more travellers to take the train to the UK for environmental reasons and to alleviate congestion at the airport.
Had it not been for the pandemic Eurostar would by now be running four or five daily trains between Amsterdam and London.
ProRail (the Netherlands infrastructure manager) “hopes to have found a solution by the summer”. We will update readers in due course.
Meanwhile there is no change to the situation in Kent where Eurostar has not been calling at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford since the start of the pandemic.
As Business Traveller had previously reported there were no plans for Eurostar to call at either station until 2023.
Latest news is that Eurostar told the BBC that it will be 2023 “at the earliest”. An announcement is set to be made later this year.
I am reporting this news again because many travellers remain unaware that Eurostar only has one UK station: London St Pancras.
It means that travellers living near the Channel ports must make a London backtrack or else cross the Channel as a foot passenger (but not every ferry company currently accepts foot passengers).
