Eurostar, the high-speed train network, has shifted all its operations to a new centre in Brussels, the railway company announced on Tuesday. The centre will employ around 100 staff.
Previously, Eurostar had two operational centres, the first in Brussels handled former Thalys network, and the second in Lille, France, managed Eurostar trains to and from London.
Following the merger of Thalys and Eurostar under the Eurostar brand, the company decided to consolidate its activities into a single location.
"Brussels was the most logical choice, as the company’s headquarters is located there, and 70% of our trains start, arrive, or pass through Brussels," said Amar Chaabi, Eurostar’s operations director.
Open 24 hours a day, the new centre handles about 100 trains and 50,000 passengers daily, said Chaabi. Incident management and their impact on train traffic, staff, and travellers is a major focus. Communication is also handled by the Brussels centre.
"We try to send initial information within 15 minutes in the event of an incident," explains Malcolm Chabannais, director of the operations centre. Passengers will receive an SMS or an email about possible delays, while onboard staff will receive updates and announcements will be made at stations and on Eurostar’s website.
The high-speed train company also communicates regularly with railway network operators (Infrabel in Belgium) and rail companies, such as SNCB, to ensure smooth travel for its customers and provide support in case of problems.
"This centre handles safety, punctuality and regularity of trains, as well as customer experience," added Amar Chaabi. "It is unique as it manages operations in five countries (Belgium, France, UK, Netherlands and Germany) and across six rail networks (including the Channel Tunnel)."
Revamping Midi
Eurostar has also spent €10 million on ensuring that major delays are prevented once the Entry/Exit System (EES) for the UK is introduced on 6 October. There have been widespread fears about potential delays caused by the new, more complicated system.
At the Brussels-Midi station terminal in Brussels, there will be an additional ten new e-gates and four additional in-person counters installed.
There also plans to carry out a major renovation of the Eurostar terminal at Brussels-Midi station.
While part of the space was renovated several years ago, bringing the arrival of a duty-free store, the waiting space consists of seating (too little) and not much more. Now, the second phase of the works will soon begin to give the terminal a complete face-lift of sorts.
The number of seats will double to 600, sanitary facilities and lighting will be improved and catering facilities such as fast-food cafes covering an additional 200 square metres will be added.
