Eurostar's popular direct London-to-Amsterdam route that started earlier this year will add another train each day, but still is not able to sell direct tickets on the return route to London, and probably won't until after 2020.
The issue is passport and border clearance. While Great Britain is still a member, for now, of the European Union, it has never joined the Schengen Treaty agreement which removes internal borders and passport checks among its members. Therefore, passengers between London and Europe must undergo a border crossing.
The London-to-Amsterdam passengers are cleared in London and can continue to any of Eurostar's terminals on the Continent, but return passengers need to be cleared before entering the UK. So far, there is no agreement among the Netherlands, Britain, France and Belgium to create a border facility at Amsterdam Centraal, so passengers on the route must change trains at Brussels Midi for the customs and passport check.
The agreement was supposed to be worked out this year, and go into effect by the end of next year. Eurostar has said that once the agreement is in effect, it will double its services to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, effectively competing with one of the densest air routes, and freeing up gate slots at Amsterdam's crowded Schiphol Airport.
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