Eurostar to launch £40 Amsterdam to London trains
Eurostar passengers will be able to travel directly from Amsterdam to London from the end of October, the company has announced.
There has been a direct route from St Pancras to the Netherlands since 2018, but returning passengers have had to stop in Belgium for security checks. UK Border Force officials will now be stationed in Amsterdam and Rotterdam to carry out passport checks. Tickets will cost £40 each way and will go on sale from 1 September. Travellers who arrive back in the UK from the Netherlands after 15 August have to self-isolate for 14 days under coronavirus safety measures. Eurostar said its trains are deep cleaned before every journey and a new seat map system will ensure passengers are kept a safe distance apart. The new return route starts on 26 October and will mean passengers can travel between St Pancras and Amsterdam Centraal in just over four hours. Passengers will also be able to go from Rotterdam, located south of Amsterdam, and back to London in just under three-and-a-half hours. The Home Office has confirmed its Frontier Control agreement, currently in place with France and Belgium, will be extended to cover trains coming from the Netherlands. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the new arrangements will make it easier for passengers to travel between the two countries. "This important treaty shows that while we have left the European Union, our links with Europe are stronger than ever," she said. "It will enable vital security and immigration checks to be carried out in the Netherlands, protecting the UK's border and providing faster and more efficient journeys for passengers." For more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.