London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has raised concerns about the “terrible signal” that the anticipated “chaos” at St Pancras station, where the Eurostar arrives, could send globally due to the implementation of a new EU entry and exit control system.
From late 2024, non-EU nationals entering the European Union will face automated checks under the Entry/Exit System (EES).
This centralised database will include both facial photographs and fingerprint details of each traveller.
A significant concern raised last month by a British parliamentary committee pertains to the extensive delays – possibly up to 14 hours – that the EES could cause at borders.
St Pancras station, the primary hub for Eurostar trains in the capital, could be especially affected.
“Under current circumstances, these new post-Brexit controls will provoke mayhem at St Pancras, with service cutbacks and potentially massive queues for passengers at peak times,” Sadiq Khan warned in a statement on Saturday.
Khan urges the government not to “wash their hands” of this “direct consequence of Brexit,” which could send a “terrible signal to tourists and businesses worldwide,” as London’s economy is just starting to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eurostar, along with High Speed 1 (HS1), the company running the rail line linking London to the Channel Tunnel’s entrance, have also expressed their concerns.
Eurostar has suggested that the new system appears to be more designed for airports than railway terminals.
