Eurostar Launches Direct London to Antwerp Train Service

Starting December 14, Eurostar will launch a direct train route from London St Pancras International to Antwerpen-Centraal. Up to four trains per day currently operating on the London-to-Amsterdam line will add Antwerp as a stop, alongside existing halts at Lille-Europe, Brussels-Midi, and Rotterdam-Centraal. The new service reduces travel time from London to Antwerp to approximately two hours and 41 minutes, down from the previous three-to-four-hour journey requiring a transfer.

Due to a lack of dedicated UK border, customs, and security facilities at Antwerpen-Centraal, the direct service will operate only on outward journeys from London. Return travelers must continue to use combined services via Brussels-Midi. This expansion coincides with the city's Christmas Market and is part of a broader strategy to add routes to Cologne, Frankfurt, and Switzerland.

The network growth occurs as Eurostar prepares for future competition from Virgin Trains, which intends to launch its own daily return services between London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam by 2030.