Eurostar is a speedy way to get to Europe, and with a generous baggage allowance and city centre stations it’s super convenient too.
But now, the high-speed train company is getting rid of a service that they previously said made travel with them ‘easier than ever’.
As of February 13, passengers at London St Pancras will no longer be able to use contactless pre-departure gates, and instead will have to show their passports to border staff.
The contactless SmartCheck gates were introduced as a way to speed up the boarding process, eliminating the need for manual passport checks.
Introduced in July 2023 after a two-year trial, passengers downloaded an app called iProov, and completed a pre-registration process, which then allowed them to use the biometric face-scanning technology at the train station.
At the time, Andrew Bud, founder and CEO of iProov, said that the technology was ‘saving precious time and space at the border, streamlining the boarding process to one that’s far faster, more convenient, less crowded and stressful.’
But next month, the SmartCheck lane will be switched to a lane that can only be used by priority passengers, such as those signed up to Eurostar Premier or Étoile Club Eurostar members.
It could led to more queues for standard passengers, once the ‘seamless’ technology is axed.
The change is linked to the introduced of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), the automated system that registers travellers from non-EU countries every time they cross a border into or out of the EU.
The EES has been continuously delayed – after initially being scheduled for 2022. It will require all UK passengers to register their name, their type of travelling document they’re using, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images), and the date and place of entry and exit.
Once the data has been captured, it’s expected to remain in the system for three years before it’s erased.
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In the hopes of transitioning smoothly to EES, Eurostar unveiled plans back in May 2024, which included more staff and registration kiosks.
In a statement on their website, Eurostar explained why they were 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 (EES),’ 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 the border control process is as smooth as possible for passengers travelling in the coming months and after EES has launched.’
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