—Growing popularity of connecting rail journeys via Brussels

—New Brussels-Amsterdam high-speed service unveiled today

Eurostar, the high-speed provider of carbon neutral rail journeys between the UK and continental Europe, today reports a 22% rise in travellers between London and Amsterdam via Brussels.

The growth in rail travel between two of Europe’s most exciting cities comes as Dutch and Belgian Railways today (7 July) unveiled the new high-speed service that will operate between Brussels and Amsterdam from next year.

The Fyra high-speed trains will connect with Eurostar services at Brussels-Midi and call at Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schiphol en route to Amsterdam.

Simon Montague, Director of Communications, Eurostar, said: “Travellers are now discovering the advantages of high-speed rail for longer journeys across Europe. By making one simple connection they can avoid all the hassles of flying and enjoy journeys from city centre to city centre that are just as fast overall – and a lot more convenient.”

Eurostar expects that the 22% growth in travellers to Amsterdam that has occurred since the Channel Tunnel fully re-opened in February will be further boosted in a year’s time by the phased introduction of Fyra services and a significant reduction in journey times from the current overall time of just over five hours.

Eurostar has also seen a 34% increase in traveller numbers from Dutch cities such as Amsterdam to London, compared with last year.