January 30th 2025.
As you embark on your next Eurostar journey, you may notice a few changes to the boarding process. Eurostar has always prided itself on being a speedy and convenient way to travel to Europe, with generous baggage allowances and city centre stations. However, the high-speed train company has recently announced that they will be getting rid of a service that was once deemed "easier than ever".
Starting February 13th, passengers at London St Pancras will no longer be able to use the contactless pre-departure gates. Instead, they will be required to show their passports to border staff. This change comes as a surprise, as the contactless SmartCheck gates were originally introduced to speed up the boarding process and eliminate the need for manual passport checks. The gates were first introduced in 2023 after a successful two-year trial, where passengers could download an app called iProov and complete a pre-registration process, allowing them to use the biometric face-scanning technology at the train station.
Back in 2023, Andrew Bud, founder and CEO of iProov, expressed excitement over the technology, stating that it was "saving precious time and space at the border" and making the boarding process "faster, more convenient, less crowded, and less stressful". However, come next month, the SmartCheck lanes will only be accessible to priority passengers, such as those signed up to Eurostar Premier or Étoile Club Eurostar members. This could potentially lead to longer queues for standard passengers once the "seamless" technology is removed.
The reason for this change is linked to the introduction of the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated system that registers travelers from non-EU countries every time they cross a border into or out of the EU. The EES has faced continuous delays and is now expected to launch in 2022. This system will require all UK passengers to register their name, type of travel document, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit. Once the data has been captured, it will remain in the system for three years before being erased.
To prepare for the transition to EES, Eurostar announced plans in May 2024 to increase staff and registration kiosks at the station. In a statement on their website, Eurostar explained the reason for removing SmartCheck. "We're removing SmartCheck as we continue to make some changes at the station in preparation for the launch of the EU's new Entry/Exit System," the statement reads. "As part of these preparations, we're improving our border control area with new ePassport gates and extra passport control booths. This will help us ensure a smooth border control process for passengers in the coming months and after EES has launched."
In other London news, a £15 trillion tunnel connecting London and New York is in the works and the neighbourhoods "on the up" in 2025 have been revealed. The iconic G-A-Y Bar is also up for sale after the owner expressed frustration with Nimbys. For the latest news from the capital, visit Metro's London news hub. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing us at email.
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