Eurostar will begin running direct services between London St Pancras and Antwerp from December 14, offering faster journeys to Belgium’s “diamond capital,” though passengers will still need to change trains in Brussels on the way back due to the absence of UK border facilities in Antwerp.
Eurostar has announced a new direct route connecting London with Antwerp, set to launch just in time for the pre-Christmas travel period. From December 14, travellers will be able to book direct journeys from London St Pancras to Antwerpen-Centraal, opening up access to the Belgian city’s museums, festive markets and medieval streets. The new route will mark Eurostar’s first new direct destination from London since Amsterdam, and its second connection to Belgium alongside the existing London-Brussels service, which currently runs eight to ten times daily.
How the new service will work
The direct route will operate four trains a day from London St Pancras to Antwerpen-Centraal. Rather than running as a standalone service, the Antwerp stop will be added to four of Eurostar’s existing London-Amsterdam services. The direct journey is expected to take two hours and 41 minutes, cutting around 34 minutes off the current journey time via Brussels.
Eurostar said the addition reflects growing demand for direct rail links to secondary European cities, with the company hoping the route will encourage more passengers to travel beyond Brussels. A spokesperson for the company 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.”
The catch: no direct return service
Despite the new outbound route, there will be no direct service back from Antwerp to London for the foreseeable future. Instead, passengers travelling home will need to book a combined ticket using an SNCB train to Brussels-Midi, followed by a Eurostar service onward to London, with UK border and security checks carried out during the connection in Brussels. This return journey is expected to take around three hours and 30 to 50 minutes, depending on connection times.
Eurostar has said dedicated UK border and customs facilities would need to be installed at Antwerpen-Centraal before a direct return service could be introduced, and there are currently no plans to do so. A spokesperson explained: “This would require a dedicated UK border and customs facilities at Antwerp-Centraal, something it looks like we’re not going to get in the near future.” Despite the need to change trains, passengers will still be able to book their full return journey on a single ticket, with the connection in Brussels protected as part of the booking.
Tickets for the new route are already on sale, with one-way fares starting from £51.
Why Antwerp
Antwerpen-Centraal is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world, making it something of a destination in its own right. Antwerp itself is internationally known as the world’s diamond capital, with around 80% of the world’s rough diamonds passing through the city’s Diamond District, one of the largest in the world, at some stage of the trading process. The city has also built a strong international reputation in fashion, home to the influential “Antwerp Six” group of designers and the renowned MoMu Fashion Museum.
Part of a wider expansion
The new Antwerp route forms part of Eurostar’s broader strategy to expand its international rail network and draw more passengers away from short-haul flights. The company has also announced plans to introduce direct services to Frankfurt, Cologne and Geneva, supported by a fleet of up to 50 new trains. While no official launch date has been confirmed, these additional routes are expected to roll out during the early 2030s.
