London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Saturday that Eurostar passengers travelling from the UK to the continent will face “chaos” once a new computerised border control scheme comes into force.
All tourists will have to go through an automated EU entry/exit system once a new computerised border control scheme proposed by the European Union comes into force.
The system will record the details of non-EU nationals and their biometric data, as well as the date of entry and exit, tracking cases of overstay and refusal of entry. The automated system is also set to replace the passport stamp for Britons travelling to France.
Last year almost 19 million people used the Eurostar service connecting the UK to Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, as the number of travellers has returned to pre-pandemic levels, there are now concerns about what to expect this year:
“As it stands these new post-Brexit checks will cause chaos at St Pancras (the London station serving Eurostar passengers), with cuts to services and potentially huge queues facing passengers at peak times,” said Khan, who has openly called for the UK to forge a closer relationship with the European Union.
This comes as HS1, which operates the line between London and the Channel Tunnel to France, said preparations were “woefully inadequate” and could lead to massive queues and potentially limit passenger numbers, as registering a non-EU passenger at the border could add at least two minutes of extra journey time.
“Ministers now need to offer HS1 and Eurostar all the support it needs to resolve these issues as a matter of urgency. Cuts to services and longer delays simply isn’t an option,” stressed London mayor.
