Eurostar has announced a new direct high-speed rail service connecting London St Pancras to Antwerp-Centraal, with the first trains scheduled to run from December 14.
At present, Eurostar connects London to Brussels, and passengers heading to Antwerp have to change trains in the Belgian capital. Up to four trains a day that already run between London and Amsterdam will call at Antwerp, using existing stops at Lille-Europe, Brussels-Midi, Rotterdam-Centraal and Amsterdam-Centraal.
Antwerp is a town full of renaissance architecture.
Eurostar said: "Adding Antwerp as a direct stop on our London-Amsterdam services will make journeys to the city quicker and more convenient, providing customers with a more comfortable city centre to city centre travel experience."
Fleet and investment
Eurostar has said it will upgrade its new fleet with air conditioning capable of operating at 55C, following the intense heatwaves across Europe and the UK this summer.
Last year, Eurostar announced a £1.7bn investment in up to 50 new double-decker all-electric Celestia trains.
Return leg via Brussels
There is a catch on the route: it will only be direct on the outward leg from London.
According to Eurostar, there are no current plans to introduce a direct return service from Antwerp to London as "this would require dedicated UK border and customs facilities at Antwerp-Centraal".
Customers travelling from Antwerp to London can book a combined SNCB and Eurostar ticket on eurostar.com, connecting via Brussels-Midi, where UK border and security checks take place.
Timings and tickets
Daily timings look like this:
- 06:16 – 09:57
- 08:16 – 11:57
- 11:04 – 14:57
- 18:04 – 21:57
Tickets are already on sale and are available for as little as £51.
