Dutchflyer is the name given in the UK to 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, National Express East Anglia, and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways).[1] It is a cheaper, but much slower, way of travelling between Britain and the Netherlands compared with taking the Eurostar high-speed international train and changing trains at Brussels.
For passengers starting in the Netherlands the service used to be called GoLondon. Nowadays it does not have a brand name and this service operates under the Dutch Stena line website. [2]
The Dutchflyer service lets passengers travel from any railway station serviced in the UK by National Express East Anglia to Harwich International (formerly Parkeston Quay), cross the North Sea by Stena Line ferry, and continue, after arrival at Hoek van Holland Haven to any station in the Netherlands serviced by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
The reverse service allows for the same, but when booked and travelling from the Netherlands: on the Dutch side from any Dutch station to Hoek van Holland Haven and on the UK side passengers may travel directly from Harwich International railway station to London Liverpool Street or other stations serviced by National Express East Anglia. Trains to and from London and Cambridge are timed to meet the ferry.
This service is an outgrowth of such former named trains as the Hook Continental.
After arriving in Hoek van Holland, passengers disembark right into the railway station from where there is frequent rail service to Rotterdam Central Station. From there passengers may choose to change trains to go anywhere in the Netherlands. An example is shown in this table for a connection by rail from Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam and then to The Hague or Amsterdam, or stations in between.
| Series | Train Type | Route | Material | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Express East Anglia | Boat Train | London Liverpool Street – Harwich International | Class 321 | Twice Daily | |
| National Express East Anglia | Boat Train | Cambridge – Harwich International | Daily | ||
| National Express East Anglia | Boat Train | Lowestoft – Harwich International | Daily | ||
| Stena Line | Boat | Harwich International harbour – Hoek van Holland harbour | Stena Britannica, Stena Hollandica | Twice a day | |
| 4100 | Sprinter | Hoek van Holland Haven – Maassluis West – Maassluis – Vlaardingen West – Vlaardingen Centrum – Vlaardingen Oost – Schiedam Nieuwland – Schiedam Centrum – Rotterdam Centraal | SLT | Twice an hour | To Hoek van Holland Strand March – November |
| 2100 | Intercity | Rotterdam Centraal – Den Haag HS – Leiden Centraal – Schiphol – Amsterdam Centraal | VIRM | Twice an hour |