Eurostar’s popular direct London-to-Amsterdam route that started earlier this year will add another train each day, but still is not able to sell direct tickets on the return route to London, and probably won’t until after 2020.
The issue is passport and border clearance. While Great Britain is still a member, for now, of the European Union, it has never joined the Schengen Treaty agreement which removes internal borders and passport checks among its members. Therefore, passengers between London and Europe must undergo a border crossing.
The London-to-Amsterdam passengers are cleared in London and can continue to any of Eurostar’s terminals on the Continent, but return passengers need to be cleared before entering the UK. So far, there is no agreement among the Netherlands, Britain, France and Belgium to create a border facility at Amsterdam Centraal, so passengers on the route must change trains at Brussels Midi for the customs and passport check.
The agreement was supposed to be worked out this year, and go into effect by the end of next year. Eurostar has said that once the agreement is in effect, it will double its services to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, effectively competing with one of the densest air routes, and freeing up gate slots at Amsterdam’s crowded Schiphol Airport.
Doesn’t matter what the faceless, unelected Gnomes of Europe want. We have thousands of Illegal immigrants pouring into the UK.
Just like the US / Mexico Border – ask your President !
Aside from not being my president, he also plays very loose with facts.
But I can’t see what that has to do with whether the border check takes place in Amsterdam or in Brussels. Same check, but eliminates the need to get off the train and mill around the Brussels station
We have Illegal Immigrants trying to enter on Ferries ,Cars, Trucks, Boats and Containers from Europe. So UK Customs, in Calais, turn them back into France. If they arrive on a train in the UK they have to be given Refugee status until proved otherwise. We cant send them back to France if they say they boarded the train in Amsterdam.
No, it’s like taking a train to Mexico City and then finding there’s no one to check your passport.
The problem is that the countries involved agreed to have a Schengen-to-UK border check in Amsterdam and then didn’t make it happen.
It’s just like sending a train direct from Houston, Texas to Mexico City – Then expecting it to come back with no Passport Control at the border.