Extra Brexit border checks mean the processing rate for passengers at Eurostar's London station has been cut by nearly a third, according to the cross-Channel rail operator's boss. Outgoing chief executive Jacques Damas claimed long daily queues at London St Pancras International are only being avoided by the company limiting capacity on some trains.
In a letter to Tory MP Huw Merriman, who chairs the Transport Select Committee, Mr Damas wrote that the stamping of British passports by foreign border officials adds "at least 15 seconds" to the processing time for each passenger. Even with all border booths manned, the station can only process a "maximum" of 1,500 passengers per hour compared with 2,200 in 2019, before the Brexit transition period ended, according to Mr Damas.
The chief executive also stated that Eurostar took on £500 million in commercial debt due to the drop in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He told Mr Merriman that these are the "main factors" why the company will not resume operations at either of its Kent stations - Ashford and Ebbsfleet - until at least 2025, and will stop direct trains between London and Disneyland Paris from June 5 next year.
