All Amsterdam-London Eurostar Trains to Have 30 Minute Delay

All Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to London will be delayed by 30 minutes, as staffing issues among Dutch border guards mean the new terminal in the Dutch capital cannot process passengers quickly enough.

Delay of Eurostar trains from Amsterdam

According to Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad, all Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to London will be forced to add 30 minutes to their journey time starting 24th April.

Due to a staff shortage among the Royal Marechaussee – the Royal Military Police responsible for passport control at the land, sea, and air borders of the Netherlands – there is insufficient personnel to staff the passport control booths at the Eurostar terminal at Amsterdam Centraal station.

Passengers booked on a Eurostar train from Amsterdam to London have already received an email informing them of the delay.

Eurostar stated in their email to affected passengers that “due to operational reasons, we have had to make some adjustments to the timings of your Eurostar journey to London.”

The mail continues: “Your train will now arrive later in London. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience caused and hope this change doesn’t affect your plans too much.”

Note that the 30-minute delay applies only to trains from Amsterdam to London, as in the other direction, Schengen immigration checks will be carried out at the passport control booths at the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras.

The Eurostar train from London to Amsterdam has arrived at the station in Brussels. ©AndyBTravels

New Eurostar terminal

The direct cause of the staff shortage is the opening of a brand-new Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam with a larger passenger capacity.

While the old Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam could process only 250 passengers per train, the brand-new terminal can currently accommodate up to 400 passengers per departure from the Dutch capital.

From next week, the capacity will increase further to a maximum of 600 passengers once the final improvements are completed, reaching its full capacity.

Eurostar spokesman Nicolas Petteau explained: “For those 200 extra passengers, we need additional Marechaussee employees, but there aren’t any.”

This means it takes longer to process all Eurostar passengers through the terminal and for them to board the train, which is why the high-speed train company has opted for a delayed departure of all upcoming London-bound trains from Amsterdam.

Blame game

A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Asylum and Migration said that they were not to blame as clear agreements have been made with the high-speed train company regarding the deployment of the Royal Military Police at the Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam and the maximum number of passengers the border guards can handle.

The spokesperson said: “We note that Eurostar itself has chosen to break these agreements and transport more passengers, which is why it will take longer to process passengers.”

In previous years, it was reported that there were also staff shortages among the Dutch Royal Military Police tasked with performing passport control at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

In 2022, Dutch daily Telegraaf noted a structural staff shortage of “200 to 300” members, which was the number of extra border guards needed to perform all the required tasks smoothly.

Eurostar trains at London St Pancras. ©AndyBTravels

Future

The 30-minute extra travel time for Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to London is expected to last until after the summer holidays.

At that point, brand-new security scanners will be delivered to the Eurostar terminal, eliminating the need for extra border guards, and trains from Amsterdam to London will again be able to complete the journey in 4 hours and 17 minutes without any delays.

Conclusion

Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to London will have a 30-minute longer travel time due to a shortage of border guards at the departure terminal in the Dutch capital.

As the Royal Marechaussee – the Royal Military Police responsible for passport control in the Netherlands – doesn’t have enough personnel to handle the increased passenger capacity at the brand-new Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam, it will take longer to process all passengers, which is why trains will be forced to depart with a delay.

The problem will only be solved after the summer of 2025, when new security scanners will be delivered to the Eurostar terminal, allowing for faster processing of passengers.