Eurostar to axe direct trains between London and Disneyland Paris
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Eurostar will no longer operate its direct train service between London and Disneyland Paris from 5 June next year.
The company said it wanted to focus on its core routes, including London – Paris and London – Brussels, as it recovers from the impact of the COVID pandemic and faces the consequences of Brexit.
In 2023 more complex rules are due to come in for visitors to the European Union. The new Entry Exit System (EES) involves a new database for registering travellers from outside the EU and Schengen area as they arrive and depart.
A spokeswoman for Eurostar said: “We have taken the decision not to run the direct Disney service between London and Marne-la-Vallee in summer 2023.
“Whilst we continue to recover financially from the pandemic and monitor developments in the proposed EU Entry Exit system, we need to focus on our core routes to ensure we can continue to provide the high level of service and experience that our customers rightly expect.”
From next year, arrivals from outside the European Union and Schengen areas will have to have their fingerprints scanned and a photo taken to be registered on to a database.
The spokeswoman added: “Passengers can still enjoy high-speed rail travel between London and Disneyland Paris, via Paris or Lille.”
She said customer bookings would not be affected as tickets were not yet on sale beyond 5 June, adding that options for 2024 would be re-examined during the coming year.
London St Pancras to Marne-la-Vallee – a station next to Disneyland Paris which is to the east of the French capital – takes just two hours and 24 minutes.
The route has operated since 1996, apart from a suspension during the pandemic.
