Eurostar 9157 Skips Amsterdam, Rotterdam Dec 15 to 26

Published on Dec 15, 2025, 1:51 pm CST

6 min read

Key points

Eurostar says train 9157 will not depart from Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal on December 15 to 19, 2025, plus December 22, 2025, and December 26, 2025
Eurostar cites planning constraints outside its control for the stop cancellations
Many affected travelers will need to reposition to Brussels Midi and board Eurostar 9157 there, or exchange to a different departure
Dutch feeder options commonly involve Amsterdam Zuid or Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), because Eurocity Direct does not serve Amsterdam Centraal on these routings
Allow extra time in Brussels for airport style security and UK border checks before ticket gates close

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: The highest risk is late afternoon Netherlands to London itineraries that relied on boarding at Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal on the listed dates
Best Times To Travel: If schedules allow, shift travel to dates outside December 15 to 19, 2025, plus December 22, 2025, and December 26, 2025, or move to an earlier Netherlands to Brussels feeder
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Treat Brussels Midi as a hard gate for security and border controls, and avoid tight same evening onward plans in London on separate tickets
What Travelers Should Do Now: Download a fresh ticket, confirm your boarding station for train 9157, and lock in a Netherlands to Brussels plan with enough buffer for a crowded holiday week

Eurostar has removed the Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal stops from train 9157 on several mid and late December dates, meaning the service effectively starts in Brussels, Belgium, instead of the Netherlands. The change mainly affects westbound travelers headed to London St Pancras International who planned to board in Amsterdam or Rotterdam during December 15 to 19, 2025, plus December 22, 2025, and December 26, 2025. Travelers should download fresh tickets, confirm the boarding station shown for their date, and plan a Dutch domestic connection to Brussels Midi, with extra time for airport style security and UK border checks.

The Eurostar 9157 Amsterdam Rotterdam stops canceled update matters because those added holiday week dates increase the odds that leisure travelers get caught mid trip and show up at the wrong station.

How It Works

London bound Eurostar journeys run through security screening and border controls before boarding, so the departure station has an airport style process and a firm gate closing time. That is why Eurostar can still run train 9157 between Brussels and London while removing the Netherlands boarding points on specific dates, and why your station arrival buffer matters more than on most intra Europe trains.

Eurostar's disruption notice says train 9157 will not depart from Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal on December 15, 2025, December 16, 2025, December 17, 2025, December 18, 2025, December 19, 2025, December 22, 2025, and December 26, 2025. The same notice cites "planning constraints outside of our control" as the reason.

For travelers, the practical takeaway is simple. If your ticket says "9157," do not assume you can board in Amsterdam or Rotterdam on those dates. Treat it as a planned change and lock in your Brussels plan now, because Christmas week rail inventory and station crowding can turn a manageable transfer into a missed departure.

How Eurostar Rebooks, And What To Do If Your Plan Breaks

Eurostar's standard disruption flow is to push changes through Manage Booking or the Eurostar app, which is where travelers can typically exchange or request a refund when a service is cancelled or materially changed. If you booked through a third party retailer, use their change flow first, because Eurostar's own guidance notes that non direct bookings often need to be handled through the original seller.

In practical terms, travelers should do three checks before committing to a transfer. First, download the latest ticket close to departure and confirm the departure station shown for your specific date. Second, confirm whether Eurostar has already moved your itinerary onto a Brussels departure, or whether you need to self manage the exchange. Third, if traveling as a group, recheck carriage and seat assignments after any change, because operational swaps can reshuffle seating even when the train number stays the same.

Simplest Alternate Routing Via Brussels

For many travelers, the least risky workaround is to reach Brussels Midi earlier than you think you need to, then treat the Eurostar Channel Terminal process like an airport departure.

Rail Europe's disruption guidance for this specific stop change points affected passengers to boarding Eurostar 9157 at Brussels Midi, and it lists example feeder options such as EuroCity departures from Rotterdam and Eurocity Direct departures from Amsterdam Zuid and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) toward Brussels. The key operational detail is that Eurocity Direct routings in this guidance do not use Amsterdam Centraal, so central Amsterdam travelers need a separate local hop first, typically to Amsterdam Zuid or to Schiphol station.

From central Amsterdam, the cleanest pattern is often: local train or metro to Amsterdam Zuid, Eurocity Direct to Brussels, then walk into the Eurostar departure area and clear security and border control. From Schiphol, the same logic applies, but without the Amsterdam city transfer, which is why some luggage heavy holiday travelers will deliberately reposition to hotels near Schiphol the night before.

From Rotterdam, the routing is usually simpler because Rotterdam Centraal has frequent Brussels bound services, but you still need to treat Brussels as the choke point. A late arriving feeder into Brussels Midi is the most common failure mode, because even a small delay can collide with the Eurostar gate closing time.

How Much Buffer Is "Enough" In Brussels

Eurostar's own check in guidance for London routes is to arrive well ahead of departure and not cut it to the gate closing time, because all security and border checks happen before boarding. Separately, NS International's Eurostar guidance for Brussels connections highlights the walk from platforms into the Channel Terminal area and calls out a minimum check in time in the terminal for London bound departures.

In plain planning terms for a holiday week, travelers should aim to be physically inside Brussels Midi at least 2 hours before the Eurostar departure time shown on their ticket, and earlier if they are arriving on a separate ticket, traveling with kids, or managing accessibility needs. That buffer is not about the Brussels to London ride time, it is about protecting the pre departure process and the gate.

Avoid The Wrong Station Trap

This disruption has one unusually expensive mistake. Showing up at Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal for train 9157 on an affected date can strand you, because you have already lost the time you needed to reposition to Brussels. The prevention step is boring but effective, refresh your ticket, and look at the station field, not just the train number.

Travelers should also watch for one more subtle pitfall. Many apps and itineraries will still display "Amsterdam to London" as the journey concept, even when the usable boarding point changes, so the station stop line is what matters. If your trip involves a flight out of London the same evening, treat this as a strong signal to move the flight later, add an overnight, or rebook the rail leg to an earlier departure, because any queue or control delay in Brussels can cascade into a missed onward segment.

For broader context on winter Eurostar volatility and how border processing can add friction at Channel terminals, see our earlier coverage of Eurostar Holiday Cancellations Cut Rail Capacity and our explainer EU Entry Exit System: What Travelers Should Expect As EES Begins. Travelers who want the original date list framing can also reference Eurostar Amsterdam, Rotterdam Stops Canceled Mid December.