The City of Antwerp would love the Amsterdam to London Eurostar to include Antwerp-Central Railway Station as a stop. The 2025-2030 Government Agreement says so. But independent railway commentator Jon Worth doesn’t see it happening. 

Objective #36 of the 025-2030 Government Agreement states: “Together with the Transport Region, we are expanding our position as Urban Node within the European TEN-T network. We are committed to attracting European funds in the context of the subsidy calls, together with Lantis, the executive arm of the Transport Region. We are seeking coordination with neighbouring regions on cross-border mobility such as freight transport and international (freight) trains. We continue to insist on providing a terminal for the Eurostar to London in Antwerp-Central and opening the IC-Snel between Amsterdam and Brussels for domestic transport in order to guarantee a good train connection with Brussels.”

In his November 2025 #CrossChannelRail Final Report, Worth addresses Antwerp. “Eurostar trains from Amsterdam pass through the low level of this amazing station without stopping, but it is hard to see how the station could be adapted – you would need to put permanent barriers along the platforms, and somehow find a way to get passengers to those platforms – it is not obvious how this could easily be done. Plus with Brussels just 40 minutes away, the case for doing so looks quite weak – just go to Brussels and change.”

Why is all this needed? The United Kingdom is not a part of the Schengen Area and never has been. So you need passport controls.

Change? Change!? Belgian train users don’t like to change. They’re spoilt with direct connections to city centres. 

Asking for a clarification, Worth mostly repeated what’s in the report. “Antwerp-Central is just about plausible. You could put a barrier along one of the low level platforms (platform 3 at Brussels-Midi or Bordeaux St. John style), but I cannot work out how you would get people down to that platform securely. There are the southern staircases that you could perhaps deploy, but then where would the terminal for passport controls be? So it’s all just about plausible, but not easy.”

Channel Tunnel updates

• #CROSSCHANNELRAIL | Expanding UK-Europe train links most realistically leading to Switzerland.
• CHANNEL TUNNEL | Virgin Trains gains access to Temple Mills, ORR snubs links to Germany and Switzerland.
• Eurostar unveils €2 billion Alstom ‘Celestia’ fleet of double-decker sustainable trains.
• Channel Tunnel competition plans hinge on depot access as Gemini Trains reveals Siemens–Uber partnership.
• Gemini Trains partners with Uber for Stratford to France Channel Tunnel route.
• CHANNEL TUNNEL | UK and Germany renew London-Berlin vows, Virgin Trains promise Alstom Avelia Stream train sets.
• 2025 | The Channel Tunnel prepares for more trains, more competition and new destinations.
• United Kingdom and Germany are aiming for a direct London – Berlin train link.
• Eurostar and St. Pancras Highspeed back major station expansion to double capacity amid growing international demand.
• EUROSTAR | London – Frankfurt, London – Geneva and Amsterdam – Antwerp – Brussels – Geneva from 2030?.
• Alstom wants its double-decker trains to ride through Channel Tunnel.
• CHANNEL TUNNEL | Uber Trains-branded Gemini Trains plan London-Brussels and London-Paris route via Stratford.
• London to Switzerland direct train moves a little closer with new bilateral agreement.
• Eurostar calls for UK national strategy and investment to shape future of Channel Tunnel Rail and promises 50 new trains.
• Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) plan to launch a new high-speed link between London and Paris.
• London St. Pancras Highspeed pledges financial support for cross-Channel rail services.
• Competition for Eurostar? Temple Mills International Depot has space for competitor’s trains.
• London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink aspire to to triple train services to France, Belgium and the Netherlands and add services to Germany and Switzerland.
• Heuro wants to operate high speeds trains between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Paris and London from 2028.

More on night trains and transcontinental train travel

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• Subsidies for night trains? “You cannot fix this until someone builds more sleeper and couchette carriages”.
• European Sleeper to operate Paris – Brussels – Berlin night train route from March 2026.
• Leo Express and Arenaways plan direct train between Prague and Venice.
• Italo targets the German high-speed rail market.
• Trenitalia eyes expansion into Germany’s high-speed trains market.
• European Commission wants to link all EU capitals by high-speed train by 2040… and that’s not going to happen.
• Travellers in Europe increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys.
• SBB CFF FFS announce night train to Malmö from April 2026.
• REVIEW | European Sleeper night train.
• Paris Nightjet axed: France’s withdrawal threatens Europe’s night train revival.
• TRAIN TRAVEL | European Union records 429 billion passenger-kilometres in 2023 but domestic travel still dominates.
• 2026 | Deutsche Bahn plans 4 ICE’s per day between Cologne and Antwerp and 16 per day between Frankfurt and Brussels.
• France opens rail network up for new domestic night train operator under new EU rules.
• Back-on-Track Europe warns the ‘night train revival’ is a false dawn.
• Iron Rhine gets renewed political attention in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
• Spain’s Renfe sends Talgo VI rolling stock to Leo Express in Czechia and Slovakia.
• Leo Express: Bratislava – Ostend night train not a firm commitment.
• NMBS / SNCB sees popularity increase of international train travel.
• ÖBB prioritises Railjet over Nightjet: Is the night train revival a False Dawn?.
• Deutsche Bahn’s Antwerp – Brussels Airport – Leuven – Cologne ICE aims to attract tourists and Port of Antwerp-related business.
• VIDEO | Berlin start-up Nox to launch night trains with entirely private rooms from 2027.
• EUROPEAN SLEEPER | Brussels to Barcelona night train to stop in Avignon, Montpellier, Narbonne, and Girona.
• Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB launch Frecciarossa EuroCity trains linking Berlin, Munich, Milan, Rome and Naples.
• The end of the Brussels – Berlin ÖBB Nightjet.
• Dutch budget train GoVolta postponed after not getting funds.
• Eurostar scraps direct Amsterdam – Brussels – Marseille summer train service.
• European Commission commits to single-ticket train travel, Back-on-Track unconvinced it will happen.
• Switzerland, Czechia and Belgium top railway network density in Europe.
• SNCF Réseau confirms feasibility European Sleeper night train linking the Netherlands, Belgium, France to Barcelona in Spain.
• European Sleeper night train service from the Netherlands and Belgium to Barcelona now delayed to 2027.
• EU train travel report sees increase in cross-border passenger trains and easier bookings.
• Brussels to Luxembourg by train under 2 hours by 2030?.
• Eurostar and five more train operators joined the European Agreement on Journey Continuation.
• ÖBB’s new Nightjet sleeper cars accommodate solo travellers with Mini Cabins.
• Trenitalia orders new Hitachi Frecciarossa trains suited for France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
• EUROCITY EC-8 | Basel to Cologne in SBB’s Panoramic Car.
• Trenitalia / FS confirms interest in connecting Spain to Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin.
• Sampling NS’ new train and future Benelux rolling stock ICNG.
• REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive.
• RAIL TOUR OF EUROPE | How easy is touring Europe by train?.
• Eight train connections between the Netherlands and Belgium by 2030?.
• REVIEW | ÖBB Nightjet Amsterdam – Zurich night train.
• Nightjet Vienna/Innsbruck to Brussels, or how we got thrown off the train in Aachen.
• Why the expensive ÖBB Nightjet is really not that expensive.
• Reliving the era of the great railway journeys, travelling overnight on Nightjet.
• How we plan a big rail trip.
• Ticket Distribution: the failure of railways to sell themselves.
• To use night trains in Portugal and Spain or not?.
• Night trains in Europe.
• Low-cost, long-haul trains to conquer Europe?.
• Fly now before it’s taxed and consider using the train instead.