Dutch train company NS and Eurostar plan to launch more services between Amsterdam and London, so that train travel can better compete with short-haul flights.

Currently there are three direct services a day, with a break in Brussels for passport checks.

That is due to change in 2020, when four services a day will operate between the two capitals, and, once agreement has been reached, security checks are carried out in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Then, in 2021, NS hopes to add a fifth daily service offering a further 900 seats.

‘International trains are indispensible when it comes to making travel more sustainable,’ said NS International chief Heike Luiten. ‘A train traveller going from Amsterdam to London is responsible for 80% less CO2 emissions than someone who flies.’

Trains currently have a 23% market share of traffic between Amsterdam and London.