Tickets for the new service between London and Amsterdam have gone on sale.
The Eurostar service, which takes trains direct from London St Pancras to Amsterdam in three hours 41 minutes, begins on 4 April, with tickets on sale for just £35 one-way.
The trains depart from London twice a day, at 8.31am and 5.31pm. Over four million passengers travel between London and Amsterdam and Eurostar is hopeful its new route will see travellers opting to use the train rather than fly to the popular destination.
Nicolas Petrovic, chief executive of Eurostar, said: "The launch of our service to the Netherlands represents an exciting advance in cross-Channel travel and heralds a new era in international high-speed rail.
"With direct services from the UK to the Netherlands, France and Belgium, we are transforming the links between the UK and three of Europe's top trading nations.
"Our new route marks the culmination of the extensive investment in high-speed rail on both sides of the Channel."
Although offering a direct service, return journeys will include a change of trains in Brussels to allow necessary passport and security checks to be carried out, at least until an agreement is made between the UK and Netherland governments. According to reports, this should be completed by the end of next year.
Announcing the route, Eurostar said: "The launch of the London to Amsterdam service marks a historic milestone in the expansion of international high-speed rail travel, revolutionising the connection between these important destinations."
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Speaking today, Petrovic said: "Today's inaugural service heralds an exciting new chapter in the expansion of high speed rail, strengthening the trading and tourism links between the UK and mainland Europe.
"With just six weeks to go until the start of service we are looking forward to providing customers with a fast, comfortable connection from London to Amsterdam and transforming travel between these important capital cities."
Featured Image Credit: PA
