by In a country just 20 miles from Britain, people can catch an international train just by buying a ticket and turning up. It has never been so simple for Eurostar travelers from London. But from October 6, when the new EU border regime kicks in, there will be a fresh headache over the requirements in place.
Eurostar’s promise that “it won’t be a shit show” may be of some comfort. He spent a year discussing the precise requirements of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), and invested €10m in the refurbishment of St Pancras International.
Here Benugo, an upmarket toastie, is being ousted from its prime location to make way for rows of biometric kiosks. Passengers will have to upload their fingerprints and scan their faces, then walk – or queue – past the Elton John-donated piano at the ticket gates. After those, the baggage screening and UK passport control, the French border police will take their fingerprints again.
Eurostar says its modeling shows passengers will be able to complete the process within the recommended 60 to 90 minutes before travel, although some reports last week claimed it could take two hours.
Eurostar’s chief station and security officer, Simon Lejeune, said: “We are confident that October 6 will not be a shit show because of the work going on … we have the right arrangement.”
The bar for “shitshow” in Britain has been raised significantly since the 2016 referendum, but these growing obstacles will have some travelers considering staying at home to watch. Emily in Paris or Ratatouille could be easier.
Britons could find themselves at, say, a small Greek airport not invested in staff and kiosks to process biometric data. Passport queues may not be a pretty sight
For Eurostar, the key is capacity – or how quickly passengers can cross the border, and it is installing 49 kiosks in three areas: the other two are for business or premium passengers and an upstairs overflow arrangement for when things get hairy. times. A double fingerprint check is necessary because a European border officer must supervise the collection of biometric data on first entry. After registration, people will be able to use e-gates for three years. France agreed to double the amount police aux frontières booths from nine to 18.
Brexit had already reduced the capacity of trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam: it was taking so long to stamp paper passports that trains could not fill up and leave on time. Now, Eurostar hopes to cut the final part of the border process from 59 to 37 seconds.
The Port of Dover has raised the alarm over how, in a confined space, EU officials can get all the biometric data of arriving car passengers. This week the CPT, the trade body for coach operators, called on Ministers to take action, warning that EES would “undoubtedly increase processing time” at the port. Getlink, the Channel Tunnel and Shuttle operator, has announced that around €70m has been spent on measures to avoid a launch day disaster.
The scheme has been delayed due to concerns about backend computing capabilities and staff, and the French have lobbied hard to put EES back until after the Paris Olympics.
For Eurostar, Le Shuttle and Port of Dover, the French border “lies” – physically in Britain – meaning that checks and queues come before actual travel. Richard Thorp, director of engineering at HS1 Ltd, which operates St Pancras station, said: “Everything will be done in London, and when you arrive, you’re free to go. The challenge for our airline friends is to have the entire EES process up and running on arrival.”
Airline passengers could find themselves on October 6 at, say, a small airport in Greece that has not invested millions in staff and kiosks to process biometric data. Passport queues for non-EU travelers may not be a pretty sight.
Airports are still worried, especially as the start date is not expected to be finally confirmed until August 28, the tail end of the summer peak. Olivier Jankovec, director general of airport trade body ACI Europe, says border processing time will increase by up to 50% and says: “A number of outstanding issues require urgent attention from the European Commission and the states.” These include proper testing of the scheme; delays on promised pre-programmed app; and consideration of what border delays might entail. Jankovec says: “More needs to be done to ensure preparedness also in terms of passenger awareness.”
What ministers call “precautionary flexibility measures” could apply for the next six months. They include, in Thorp’s words, “mechanisms to maintain a fluid process” – people could only be crossing passes if the system breaks down.
The European Travel Information and Authorization System (Etias) will follow sometime in 2025, which will require British and other non-EU passengers to pre-register more details and pay €7 before crossing the English Channel.
Standing next to the doomed Benugo with a jeering EES booth, Thorp and Lejeune agree: “We don’t even want to think about that yet.”
