It’s Official: Amsterdam to London direct train without Brussels stopover Now ready

The Netherlands signed a quadrilateral treaty on Tuesday allowing for direct train travel between Amsterdam and London without a stop to transfer in Brussels. Instead, passport and security checks will be conducted in Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

Officials said they hoped the faster train service will incentivize passengers to choose the more environmentally friendly rail route over a short-haul flight. The journey will take just over four hours from Amsterdam, about one less hour than before. Boarding the train in Rotterdam will shave off an additional 30 minutes. The route back from London has been running these travel times since 2018 with passport control handled at London St. Pancras Station.

Infrastructure State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven signed the agreement with Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom in Brussels. A deal in principle was reached last September, but there were sticking points related to Brexit and the legal handling of criminal suspects on the international train route. The four countries had to agree on foreign passport control officials working on trains as they crossed each border, with the Netherlands taking on more security responsibilities.

“Soon you can travel comfortably, easily, and now faster by train from Amsterdam to London. no more hassle with checks and delays in Brussels,” Van Veldhoven said. “A Eurostar train has roughly twice as many seats as an average plane, and CO2 emissions per passenger are considerably lower.”

The Eurostar service between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom was suspended in March as a result of the ongoing global health crisis. Service will restart on July 9 with at least one daily round trip between Amsterdam and London. This could expand to a second train in each direction in August, and up to three daily trains in the autumn, depending on passenger interest and the Covid-19 situation in the destination countries.

The four countries have been working on the deal for four years.