Eurostar trains to Amsterdam and Rotterdam to be suspended for up to 11 months

Eurostar train services from London to Amsterdam and Rotterdam will be suspended for up to 11 months whilst major rebuilding work at Amsterdam Centraal is undertaken.

The Dutch transport minister confirmed the story in a briefing on Friday, according to Dutch media reports. The suspension is due to the lack of space to accommodate passport checks and baggage screening during the works.

The suspension is due to start in June 2024 and could run until May 2025, although in a ‘best case’ scenario the Dutch Government believes that the work could be completed in seven months.

The irony is that these new facilities are also temporary. The plan is for Eurostar trains to eventually terminate at Amsterdam Zuid, although this requires the completion of construction work which is currently not expected until 2036.

It appears that it is not possible to run trains between St Pancras International and Rotterdam. Whilst Eurostar currently drops off and picks up passengers in Rotterdam, the station has a limited capacity and can only handle 160 passengers per train. It is, apparently, impossible to run a service profitably on this basis.

There are currently four direct trains per day between St Pancras International and Amsterdam. The service launched in 2018 – Head for Points was on the launch service as we covered here – although for the first two years you had to change trains in Brussels on the return due to the lack of passport facilities in Amsterdam.

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How to get Club Eurostar points and lounge access from UK credit cards (October 2024)

Club Eurostar does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Club Eurostar points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards. 

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 1,333 Club Eurostar points. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 40,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 2,666 Club Eurostar points. Card benefits include Eurostar lounge access.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 666 Club Eurostar points. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 15:1 into Club Eurostar points.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, so you will get the equivalent of 1 Club Eurostar point for every £15 you spend.

American Express Platinum comes with a great Eurostar benefit – Eurostar lounge access!  

You can enter any Eurostar lounge, irrespective of your ticket type, simply by showing The Platinum Card at the desk.  No guests are allowed but you can get entry for your partner by issuing them with a free supplementary Amex Platinum card on your account.