Diversionary routes for Eurostar red and blue

citycat · 22 Jul 2026

I was standing on the platform at ‘s-Hertogenbosch yesterday when a Eurostar Red TGV passed through non stop on the centre road heading to Paris according to the door indicators and with passengers on board.

I didn’t know they sometimes came through on this route.

Does anybody know all the different diversionary routes that Eurostar Red and Blue can take between Amsterdam and Brussels? It must be a lot of route and traction knowledge that NS International drivers possess if they drive the Eurostar red and blue and the ICE and the Vectrons on the Nightjet.

By the way, I’ve been using the NS 49 euro pass for the past month on my days off and I’ve clocked up 700 euros worth of travel so I certainly got my money’s worth. I am cancelling it on Friday as I go away on vacation but I certainly hope it comes back again next year. It’s been brilliant to get to all the places I’ve never visited since moving here.

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signed · 22 Jul 2026

citycat said:
Does anybody know all the different diversionary routes that Eurostar red and blue can take between Amsterdam and Brussels? It must be a lot of route and traction knowledge that NS International drivers possess if they drive the Eurostar red and blue and the ICE and the Vectrons on the Nightjet.

Eurostar has ran the red service via Utrecht during the cable melting week few weeks back, but Blue has been cut back to Brussels at the same time

I would be wondering why (timekeeping is probably a reason, as most of the diverted Red were +30 to +45 on arrival in Paris) a Blue service couldn't have been diverted via Utrecht the same way

rvdborgt · 22 Jul 2026

signed said:
Eurostar has ran the red service via Utrecht during the cable melting week few weeks back, but Blue has been cut back to Brussels at the same time

They finally also diverted the London services via Utrecht 4 days after the meltdown. I suspect they didn't before that because of stamps, signatures and procedures.

Bungle965 · 22 Jul 2026

Roosendaal is often a diversionary route used if the HSL is closed for Eurostar Red, not sure on Blue!

Mike395 · 22 Jul 2026

Bungle965 said:
Roosendaal is often a diversionary route used if the HSL is closed for Eurostar Red, not sure on Blue!

Blue can also run via Roosendaal (I believe drivers/guards on the NSI side interwork between the two to some extent, so diversionary knowledge is identical)

eastwestdivide · 22 Jul 2026

I've photographed a Thalys (ES red) passing Gouda on diversion from the high speed route

Bemined · 22 Jul 2026

If the closure is around Rotterdam than the route via 's-Hertogenbosch is the only remaining option. Apparently the blue Eurostar trains only recently gained permission for this route, so this week they were not schedules to run, but they can use it now for unscheduled diversions.

When the closure is around Schiphol the red Eurostar trains typically go via Gouda and the blue ones via Haarlem-Leiden, this is probably because the blue trains can only depart from platform 15 in Amsterdam (it's the only platform accessible from the secured area) and going from platform 15 towards Gouda requires crossing a lot of tracks, plus that the train would arrive in Rotterdam in reverse order.

With a closure of the northern part of the high speed line trains will be diverted via Leiden, and finally during a closure of the southern part of the high speed line both red and blue trains are diverted via Dordrecht-Roosendaal.

Mike395 · 22 Jul 2026

Bemined said:
If the closure is around Rotterdam than the route via 's-Hertogenbosch is the only remaining option. Apparently the blue Eurostar trains only recently gained permission for this route, so this week they were not schedules to run, but they can use it now for unscheduled diversions.

When the closure is around Schiphol the red Eurostar trains typically go via Gouda and the blue ones via Haarlem-Leiden, this is probably because the blue trains can only depart from platform 15 in Amsterdam (it's the only platform accessible from the secured area) and going from platform 15 towards Gouda requires crossing a lot of tracks, plus that the train would arrive in Rotterdam in reverse order.

With a closure of the northern part of the high speed line trains will be diverted via Leiden, and finally during a closure of the southern part of the high speed line both red and blue trains are diverted via Dordrecht-Roosendaal.

(For those unaware, arriving in Rotterdam in reverse order London-bound is a problem if picking up passengers there; you can only load from the Eurostar terminal into the rear half of the train, and the driver would have to change ends via walking through 16 carriages whilst people try to board and find seats, not ideal)

Bungle965 · 22 Jul 2026

Bemined said:
Apparently the blue Eurostar trains only recently gained permission for this route, so this week they were not schedules to run, but they can use it now for unscheduled diversions.

There was test runs back in 2016 on this route (when the E320 were being introduced) I believe!

citycat · 23 Jul 2026

Thanks for all the info.

Amalie · 23 Jul 2026

Also note that there were also some Eurostar blues going through Utrecht a few weeks back heading to/from Brussels/Paris, which presumably didn’t need those extra permissions.

Diversionary routes for Eurostar red and blue

citycat

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signed

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rvdborgt

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Bungle965

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Mike395

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eastwestdivide

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Bemined

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Bungle965

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citycat

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Amalie

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