Woohoooo! It’s almost here! As of April 30, 2020, you’ll be able to travel directly from Amsterdam to London by train. The direct service from Rotterdam will follow on May 18th - exciting times.

Travel direct from Amsterdam to London

The direct train from Amsterdam to London will only take around 4 hours now that there is no stop in Brussels. The train from Rotterdam to London will be even quicker when it starts running, only taking 3,5 hours! But there are already trains running directly from London to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, you say. Well, yes, this is true, but the other way around (Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London), passengers still have to change in Brussels. The new service eliminates the need to change trains.

Tickets sales will start on February 11 and will cost 40 euros upwards. On Tuesday, February 4, a train was test-driven on the new route. To see it off, NS CEO Roger van Boxtel, Eurostar CEO Mike Cooper, Infrastructure and Water Management Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and State Secretary of Justice and Security Ankie Broekers-Knol were present.

A good alternative to flying

The demand for a quicker connection to London has been growing in the last few years, especially as concerns about the environmental effects of flying come to the forefront. According to NS, 80 percent less CO2 per passenger will be emitted on this route to London than if a passenger were to go by plane.

Every day, around 60 planes headed to London depart from Schiphol. With a better train connection in place, more passengers may choose to travel by train. Trains can accommodate more passengers than a plane; a train can take 900 people. So, if just four full trains head to London a day, air traffic to the English capital city could be reduced by 25 percent.

To start with, two trains per day will run on the route to London. NS hopes to increase this to five per day by 2021. Currently, there are three direct services per day from London to Amsterdam. At the moment, international train services stop at Amsterdam Central Station; however, this is not going to be the case forever. Once Amsterdam Zuid station has been renovated, it will take Amsterdam Central’s place as the station for all international train travel.