Eurostar: Consultant to look at future of Amsterdam Central Station trains

An independent consultant will look into options to continue to allow Eurostar trains to run from Amsterdam Central Station to London in the future. The company announced this after Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave visited the capital's city center train station.

The direct train connection between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and London is slated to be taken out of service for months starting next June. This is due to a planned, extensive renovation of Amsterdam Central Station.

During that visit, Cazenave had discussions with the railroad infrastructure firm ProRail, Dutch national railway NS, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Due to the renovation of Amsterdam Central Station, there will not be any space starting in June for the hall where the Marechaussee now carries out passport control checks which became necessary following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.

Work is still being done on a temporary terminal in the Amstelpassage under the station, but it is not yet ready. As a result, the Eurostar would not be able to depart from Amsterdam until May 2025 at the latest.

Eurostar said in a statement that all parties have agreed to the appointment of an independent consultant, known for his expertise in the field of rail and train stations. This consultant will conduct an independent audit and present solutions to all stakeholders, Eurostar said.

According to Eurostar, cutting down the train service to only operate between Rotterdam and London will be unprofitable. Due to the limited space at the Rotterdam station, only 160 passengers can board there, but the trains have a capacity for 900 passengers. Without the maximum of 265 passengers boarding at Amsterdam Central Station, the trains will be too empty to generate enough revenue.