 | |
 Map of the Dutch Flyer rail & sea route over the North Sea | |
| Main region(s) | London, East Anglia, South Holland, North Holland |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Greater Anglia Nederlandse Spoorwegen Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram Stena Line |
| Other | |
| Website | www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland/rail-and-sail |
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Dutchflyer is an integrated passenger service between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Formerly known as Amsterdam Express, Dutchflyer is a rail/sea/rail service operated jointly by Stena Line, the Dutch state railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen and its UK subsidiary Greater Anglia, and the Rotterdam metro and bus company Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram.[1]
History
The Dutchflyer service is a successor to former boat trains such as the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Hook Continental service, which operated between London and the Netherlands from 1927 to 1987.[2]
Originally, the Dutchflyer brand was only used to market the service to passengers starting in the UK,[3] while in the Netherlands the service was advertised as "GoLondon".[4] Nowadays the Dutchflyer brand is not used as prominently and the service is sold through the Dutch Stena Line website.[5]
Booking
The Dutchflyer service lets passengers travel from any UK railway station served by Greater Anglia to Harwich International (formerly Parkeston Quay), cross the North Sea by Stena Line ferry. As of March 2022, the ticket no longer includes the journey after arrival at Hoek van Holland Haven to any station in the Netherlands (or in the reverse direction): the ticket for the Dutch rail portion has to be purchased separately. Trains to and from London and Cambridge are timed to meet the ferry.
Train services
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After arriving in Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland), passengers disembark right into the railway station, which is now part of the Rotterdam Metro. In Rotterdam passengers may change trains to go anywhere in the Netherlands. An example is shown in this table for a connection by rail from Hook of Holland to Rotterdam and then to The Hague or Amsterdam, or stations in between.
| Operator | Train Type | Route | Rolling Stock | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Anglia | Local train | Manningtree – Harwich International | Class 720 | 1 per hour |
| Greater Anglia | Boat train | London Liverpool Street – Harwich International | Class 720 | 4 per day |
| Greater Anglia | Boat train | Cambridge/Lowestoft – Harwich International | Class 755 | 2 per day |
| Stena Line | Ship | Harwich International harbour – Hook of Holland harbour | Stena Hollandica Stena Britannica |
2 per day |
| Rotterdam Metro Line B | Metro | Hoek van Holland Haven – Schiedam Centrum | Bombardier Flexity Swift | 3 per hour |
| Nederlandse Spoorwegen | Intercity | Schiedam Centrum – Amsterdam Centraal | VIRM | 4 per hour |
| Nederlandse Spoorwegen | Intercity Direct | Rotterdam Centraal – Amsterdam Centraal | Traxx + ICR | 5 per hour |
See also
- Admiraal de Ruijter (London–Amsterdam, 1987–?)
- Benjamin Britten (London–Amsterdam, 1987–?)
- Eurostar (London–Paris)
- Regional Eurostar (Glasgow/Manchester–Paris, proposed)
- The Golden Arrow - London–Calais (1929–1972)
- Night Ferry (London–Paris/Brussels, 1936–1980)
- Venice-Simplon Orient Express (London–Paris–Rome)
Notes
- ↑ "Stena Line Dutch Flyer". Stena Line website. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Hughes, Geoffrey (1986). LNER. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 152. ISBN 0-711014280.
- ↑ "Dutchflyer website (now defunct)". Archived from the original on 11 March 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "GoLondon website (now defunct)". Archived from the original on 28 May 2002. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Dutch Stena Line website.