Eurostar’s version of premium economy is almost as good as business

The Eurostar

• Route Amsterdam to London
• Distance 357km
• Operator Eurostar International Limited
• Class Standard Premier class
• Frequency Four times a day

The high-speed Eurostar travels at up to 300km/h.

The journey

Amsterdam Centraal to London St Pancras with a scheduled journey time of four hours and 42 minutes aboard a high-speed e320 train.

The class

My daughter and I are travelling in Standard Premier class, which is akin to premium economy onboard an aircraft. Positioned between Standard and Business Premier classes, Standard Premier offers the same seat and most of the trappings of Business Premier at a lower price, minus lounge access and priority boarding.

Carbon emissions

3.9kg of CO2 per rail passenger. A passenger’s carbon footprint flying between Amsterdam and London is the equivalent of about seven Eurostar journeys.

Boarding

Boarding is from the far end of platform 15B at Amsterdam Centraal, accessed via stairs or a lift. There are lengthy queues for our 4.15pm service particularly now Britain is no longer part of the EU. Passengers pass (slowly) through passport and security before arriving at a departure area with limited seating and nothing on offer aside from a couple of vending machines. This will change by year’s end when Eurostar unveils their new cross-Channel terminal at Amsterdam Centraal Station. The current terminal will close June 14 for six months of renovation works and services between Amsterdam and London will be reduced to three per day. Eurostar recommends arriving between 60 and 75 minutes before departure.

The seat

Standard Premier class is like premium economy on airlines.

I’m seated next to my daughter and our Standard Premier seats (the same seats as in Business Premier) are arranged in a 1-2 layout with plenty of legroom. The seats have a high back, leather headrest, two armrests (no fighting over the middle one), power and USB sockets, personal reading light and recline 10 cm. They also have a fold down tray table. Wi-Fi is free and even works in the Chunnel but does drop in and out intermittently. Seat selection is also free. I swap with my daughter to watch the Dutch and French countryside pass by from the window seat. Disappointingly you can’t see the sea while passing through the Chunnel (you may laugh, but apparently some passengers ask this).

Baggage

You can bring two larger bags and one smaller piece of hand luggage. There’s storage for larger bags at either end of the carriage. There’s no restriction on liquids so you can even BYO alcohol for the trip (within moderation – four cans of beer or a bottle of wine, and you can bring unopened bottles of wine back from your trip).

Food + drink

My fare includes a light meal with a choice of two dishes and a dessert as well as alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. The sweet potato falafel served with spinach hummus and a quinoa, mushroom and tarragon salad. It’s surprisingly good. It’s served with a bread roll, unsalted cultured butter and a Belgian chocolate, orange and cranberry tiffin. When I ask the Eurostar steward for his wine recommendation, he hands me all three French red wine options (served in mini bottles with a wine glass) and we’re now friends for life.

One more thing…

Disembarking in central London is icing on the cake.

I’d never travelled on Eurostar before nor a high-speed train for that matter so was excited by the prospect of going, well, fast. And while the Eurostar does reach a maximum speed of 300 kilometres per hour, there are several stretches when the train travels nowhere near that speed and slows to stop at Brussels Midi and Rotterdam Centraal stations.

The train appeared to travel fastest approaching the Chunnel when we hurtled along at a cracking pace. Once in the Chunnel the Eurostar travels at 160 kilometres per hour.

The verdict

Aside from the tedious pre-boarding formalities, Eurostar offers an efficient, relaxed and sustainable way to travel between Amsterdam and London. Stepping off the train and finding ourselves in the heart of London is the icing on the cake.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer travelled as a guest of Eurostar following a hosted voyage aboard Travelmarvel’s European Gems cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. See eurostar.com; travelmarvel.com.au