For the past 26 years – with a brief interruption due to Covid – Eurostar has been running high-speed trains from London to Disneyland Paris. The service is extremely popular with British families. It takes less than two and a half hours from St Pancras International to Marne-la-Vallée, the station outside Disneyland Paris. However, the Channel Tunnel train carrier will abandon the route from June 6, 2023. Eurostar blames difficult economic conditions plus the logistical implications of Brexit and said it is focusing on the core cities it serves in France, Belgium and the Netherlands . More complex rules for visitors to the European Union are to be introduced in 2023. The new Entry-Exit System (EES) includes a new database for recording non-EU and Schengen travelers on arrival and departure. The UK government has negotiated for British passport holders to be subject to EES after leaving the EU. A Eurostar spokesman said: “While we continue to recover financially from the pandemic and monitor developments on the proposed EU Entry System, we need to focus on our core routes.” Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “This is such disappointing news. I have used the service many times over the years with my own children, as have many millions of British families. “However, this appears to be another example of the impact of Brexit on British travellers, and possibly the pandemic, but I remain hopeful that with the UK being a key source market for Disneyland Paris, realistic considerations will prevail and practical solutions”. Ben Bradshaw, the former Labor secretary who sits on the Transport Select Committee, said: “The huge cost and inconvenience of the Tory Brexit deal is clearer by the day. “Yet both prime ministerial candidates are in complete denial, blaming foreigners rather than facing the reality of the deal they voted for.” A government spokesman said: “The Entry and Exit System will help protect and strengthen the security of our borders by recording the entry, exit and any rejected entries of third country nationals crossing into Europe. “We are working closely with port authorities, operators and the French government to ensure that passengers are prepared and do not face unnecessary delays at the border due to the new entry and exit system controls that will be introduced next year.” Last week, Eurostar blamed the same factors – the post-Covid economic environment and additional controls after Brexit – for its decision not to serve any of its Kent stations until 2025 at the earliest. Passengers from London will be able to travel by rail to Disneyland Paris with a change of train at Lille. A Eurostar spokesman said: “We will review the options for 2024 over the next year. “ Other theme parks easily accessible by rail from London include Chessington World of Adventures (34 minutes) and Blackpool Pleasure Beach (3 hours 5 minutes).
