Travelling via Eurostar to/from a different Dutch station on the outward and return journey

[AY1975]

Eurostar used to offer through tickets that were valid to "any Dutch station", but now you can only get through tickets to/from Amsterdam or Rotterdam via the Eurostar website or app.

You can book through tickets between London and any other Dutch station using the NS International website or app, but you have to specify which Dutch station you are travelling to and from whereas you used not to have to do this with "any Dutch station" tickets.

I would presume that if you are returning from a different station in the Netherlands to where you travelled to on your outward journey, your best option would be to buy a separate ticket to Brussels from where you are travelling from on your return journey, then using your existing Eurostar ticket for the Eurostar leg of the journey even though you won't have used the leg of that ticket to Brussels from the Dutch station that you travelled to on your outward journey. Obviously, with the now withdrawn "any Dutch station" tickets you would not have needed to do this.

I may be making such a journey next year, going to stay with friends in Dordrecht and then going to a festival near Boxtel which is where I would be travelling back from on my return journey.

I presume the Eurostar check-in gates at Brussels Midi will accept through tickets from any Dutch station or from Cologne, as many such passengers will be changing in Brussels.

 

[Mike395]

Eurostar used to offer through tickets that were valid to "any Dutch station", but now you can only get through tickets to/from Amsterdam or Rotterdam via the Eurostar website or app.

You can book through tickets between London and any other Dutch station using the NS International website or app, but you have to specify which Dutch station you are travelling to and from whereas you used not to have to do this with "any Dutch station" tickets.

I would presume that if you are returning from a different station in the Netherlands to where you travelled to on your outward journey, your best option would be to buy a separate ticket to Brussels from where you are travelling from on your return journey, then using your existing Eurostar ticket for the Eurostar leg of the journey even though you won't have used the leg of that ticket to Brussels from the Dutch station that you travelled to on your outward journey. Obviously, with the now withdrawn "any Dutch station" tickets you would not have needed to do this.

I may be making such a journey next year, going to stay with friends in Dordrecht and then going to a festival near Boxtel which is where I would be travelling back from on my return journey.

I presume the Eurostar check-in gates at Brussels Midi will accept through tickets from any Dutch station or from Cologne, as many such passengers will be changing in Brussels.

In reality you will get separate barcodes for the NS domestic section/NSI train to Brussels and the Eurostar section to London. As far as I'm aware there's no pricing benefit any more to doing this vs just buying the tickets separately.

 

[rvdborgt]

In reality you will get separate barcodes for the NS domestic section/NSI train to Brussels and the Eurostar section to London. As far as I'm aware there's no pricing benefit any more to doing this vs just buying the tickets separately.

The latter is true indeed if you change in Brussels. If you travel via Rotterdam or Amsterdam, there can be a benefit, since connecting NS tickets have a fairly low maximum price if bought in combination with Eurostar. Dordrecht however would still be too close to Rotterdam to hit that maximum.

 

[AY1975]

Also, if travelling back from Boxtel via Roosendaal, I presume I'd be able to use the return portion of my London to Dordrecht ticket from Roosendaal onwards? In that case I'd only need to buy a separate ticket from Boxtel to Roosendaal. That is if I selected a return journey from Dordrecht that involved changing in Brussels.

 

[DanielB]

If you'd select a return journey from Dordrecht involving changing in Brussels, I'd expect it to go via Breda (as that's only one change for Dordrecht - Brussels, whilst via Roosendaal you'll have to change twice). So then you'd only need an additional ticket from Boxtel to Breda.

 

[NCT]

Are there any benefits to booking a return over two singles? Can't you just buy London - Dordrecht and Boxtel - London, if you are sure those are the journeys you'll be making?

 

[Watershed]

Are there any benefits to booking a return over two singles? Can't you just buy London - Dordrecht and Boxtel - London, if you are sure those are the journeys you'll be making?

Eurostar doesn't offer full single leg pricing; 2 singles are generally 10-20% or so more expensive than a return.

 

[NCT]

Eurostar doesn't offer full single leg pricing; 2 singles are generally 10-20% or so more expensive than a return.

Thanks for clarifying. I wasn't sure - the Eurostar user interface gave the impression you were buying two singles.

In that case, something like a London - Dordrecht return plus a Boxtel - Breda (or wherever the 'back on route' point wants to be) single would probably make the most sense.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Going via Rotterdam is the other option - frequent service to Dordrecht, and a half-hourly service Boxtel to Rotterdam (changing at Tilburg) for the return.

Eurostar is also stopping in Antwerp from December (outward bound from London only).