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.
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.
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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.
‘Hoping for pragmatic thinking and practical solutions’
The route has operated since 1996, apart from a suspension during the pandemic.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of more than 700 UK travel agents, said the news would be “disappointing for many”.
“Eurostar has suggested that they have taken this decision based on the logistical implications of Brexit, which doesn’t surprise me.
“The reality is that Brexit has removed the ability for Brits to travel freely across Europe, and has taken away the seamless and frictionless travel that we all enjoyed prior to leaving the EU.
“Given that the UK is an important source market to Disneyland Paris, I am hoping that some pragmatic thinking and practical solutions will entail, similar to those implemented by Spain at some of its Spanish airports, allowing Brits to use the e-gates on entry.”
