Eurostar is considering suspending its services in the Netherlands next year due to “increasing reliability problems, capacity restrictions, and frustrating delays for passengers,” Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said in an opinion piece in the Financieele Dagblad, cited by NL Times.THE CEO specifically mentions speed limits on the high-speed line and uncertainties around the renovations of Amsterdam Central Station.
ProRail has had to put speed limits on several parts of the high-speed line due to concerns about the infrastructure. According to Cazenave, this has resulted “in frequent delays, longer journey times, and dissatisfied passengers.”
The railway line, designed for a top speed of 300 kilometres per hour, has lower maximum speeds of only 120 kilometres per hour in several places. From July 10, the speed was further reduced to 80 kilometres per hour in five locations due to cracks in the construction that were discovered in 2022. The new situation leads to more delays for travellers and missed transfers.
The renovations at Amsterdam Central Station are another major issue. As a result, Eurostar has had to temporarily close the Amsterdam-London route, forcing passengers to change trains in Brussels. The CEO said it is still not clear when the connection can restart.
“Eurostar has prepared everything to run from Amsterdam to the British capital again in early 2025, as planned. However, we are concerned about the lack of guarantees and binding agreements on the readiness of essential parts of the necessary infrastructure for restarting the connection.” She added that, this summer, Eurostar was informed that renovation work would limit the availability of platforms from the spring of 2025, giving Eurostar access to platforms that are half as long as needed. “So far, there is no clear indication of how long these capacity restrictions will remain in place.”
“The accumulation of restrictions is pushing Eurostar off the map in the Netherlands,” Cazenave said. “Without clarity on the Dutch rail network and guaranteed access to the necessary infrastructure, Eurostar is forced to suspend services from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to London and Paris in 2025.”
She added that Eurostar considers the Netherlands to be the country with the greatest growth potential in its network. “This dramatic outcome is not the result of a decision by Eurostar, but the result of a lack of interest and care for international travelers. It is not Eurostar that is leaving the Netherlands, but Eurostar that is being forced to leave the Netherlands.”
“I trust that all parties involved want to prevent the Netherlands from disappearing from the European railway map in this way,” Cazenave said.
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