Direct Eurostar trains between Amsterdam and London returning February 2025
Image: Eurostar hall at St Pancras
Direct trains from Amsterdam to London are set to resume from February next year after building work halted services.
Reports in the Netherlands state passengers will no longer have to change in Brussels for security and passport checks.
Amsterdam Centraal station has been undergoing building works with direct services not running since June. A start date of February 10th is pencilled in.
Eurostar trains have a capacity of 900 though from February that will be restricted to 450 passengers leaving Amsterdam.
Later in 2025 around the spring totals will be increased to 650.
No Kent calls
While Eurostar resuming direct services will be welcomed by many, they have no intention of stopping again at Ebbsfleet or Ashford.
And they never did get round to stopping at Stratford International. A former bus station designed to transport passengers from Eurostar beside the station is now seeing two towers rise on site.
Ceasing stops at Ebbsfleet is a pain. However direct Thameslink trains from NW Kent and SE London to St Pancras has somewhat helped.
Not for everyone of course, and many in Kent as still hoping for a return.
What about Eurostar that are planning to stop at Stratford International station that would make it easier to travel from Stratford in East London to France and Europe.
Instead of travelling to St. Pancras International or maybe allow Eurostar trains to stop at Ashford International like it used to before. When Eurostar went from London Waterloo International before it closed in 2007 and were transferred to St. Pancras International in the same year.
Since Stratford International station was built for Eurostar trains to stop there because of the London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics.
And before when West Ham United moved from Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) to the new London Stadium and when the Elizabeth Line (formerly known as Crossrail back then) started allowing trains to pass underneath Central London.
It would have been a whole lot different way back to Summer 2012 with millions and millions of people coming to East London to go see the Olympics in action.
It would be nice if Eurostar were to stop at Stratford International. That would have meant having a direct train service to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and mostly Europe to and from Stratford International. Instead of going to & from London St. Pancras International.
And also to allow some Eurostar trains to stop at Ashford International. As well as they used to allow the Class 373 trains to stop at Ashford International before HS1 was built. As most of the Eurostar trains now avoid Ashford International including the new Class 374 E320.
If the direct Eurostar trains were to also stop at Stratford, they would no longer be that direct. It’s a classic ‘short blanket dilemma’. I’m just happy the direct service to Amsterdam returns in February 2025. Good news for a change!