Eurostar launches London to Amsterdam route this April – with fares from £35 one-way
Trains will travel from St Pancras International to Amsterdam city centre in 3 hrs and 41 mins
BRITS will be able to get a direct train from London to Amsterdam from this April.
Eurostar is launching the service with two trains a day from St Pancras International to Amsterdam city centre.
The journey will take three hours and 41 minutes from city to city.
The direct train will also stop at Rotterdam.
The trains from London to the Netherlands will depart at 8.31am and 5.31pm on weekdays, then 8.31am Saturday and 5.31pm on Sunday.
It will run non-stop from St Pancras to Brussels, then will stop at Rotterdam and terminate at Amsterdam Centraal station.
On their return journey, travellers will have to change trains at Brussels Midi station because of bureaucratic red tape.
Customers will need to take a Thalys train to Brussels-Midi/Zuid, where they will go through security and passport control before hopping on a Eurostar train to London.
But Eurostar is working on solving the issue, they said: "The UK and Netherlands governments are both working hard to find an agreement that will allow us to check travellers’ passports before departure from the Netherlands."
It is thought that the new trains will be a big blow for the low-cost airlines that currently operate flights between the UK and Amsterdam.
The new trains start from just £35 one-way - and travellers will also save money on airport transfers as they will arrive in the city centre at both end.
Tickets will go on sale f
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Eurostar has three three classes, Standard, Standard Premier & Business Premier - but even in standard class, all customers get plug sockets & free wifi at all seats.
Eurostar’s chief executive, Nicolas Petrovic, said: “The launch of our service to the Netherlands represents an exciting advance in cross-Channel travel and heralds a new era in international high speed rail.
“With direct services from the UK to the Netherlands, France and Belgium, we are transforming the links between the UK and three of Europe’s top trading nations.”