Eurostar might be pressured to halt Amsterdam trains for years

Just two years into Eurostar’s a lot raved-about Amsterdam route, the long-distance operator has hit a bump within the tracks.

Planned renovation works at Amsterdam Centraal station, scheduled for 2024, would put the terminal Eurostar makes use of for passport management and safety checks out of motion for a number of years.

The works are set to be carried out by ProRail, the federal government organisation tasked with extending and sustaining the Netherlands’ rail community.

In a letter to the Netherlands parliament, state secretary of infrastructure Vivianne Heijnen stated: “The space is needed for construction work and the situation is very complex.”

Ms Heijnen stated there was no accessible area elsewhere with safe entry to the platform, and known as the plans “unacceptable”.

In the letter, she known as on authorities organisation Pro Rail to “do everything possible together with NS to solve the problems surrounding Eurostar during the renovation of Amsterdam Centraal.”

Ms Heijnen additionally emphasised the significance of the UK-Netherlands rail hyperlink in easing the quantity of much less sustainable short-haul flights.

A Eurostar spokesperson stated: “We have an agreement with the Dutch railway that allows us to operate from the terminal at Amsterdam Central Station until November 2023.

“After that period, a number of potential options have been defined, but a final decision is yet to be made.

“There is currently no risk that we will stop running this service. It is however, important to have a quick decision on the destination station in Amsterdam to assure continuity on the route.”

ProRail advised native media that it hoped to seek out another Amsterdam location for Eurostar by the tip of this 12 months, with the “ambition” being to maintain it at Amsterdam Centraal.

The operation is also moved to Amsterdam South, the place ProRail is planning to construct a 3rd platform.

“We think Eurostar is extremely important,” stated a ProRail spokesperson. “It is an excellent service that is widely used.”

In April it was confirmed that Eurostar will expand its European routes by merging with Belgian operator Thalys, a transfer that may create a extra complete community connecting the UK with Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, in addition to extra of France on high-speed trains.

The European Commission authorized the merger on 26 April, following earlier discussions between the 2 operators previous to the Covid-19 pandemic.