The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for the UK government not to ‘wash its hands’ of post-Brexit bureaucracy and warned that biometric passport checks (part of the new EES border system slated for use on Eurostar services from October) could cause travel ‘chaos’ at St. Pancras station.

In a press release, Khan stated: “As it stands these new post-Brexit checks will cause chaos at St Pancras, with cuts to services and potentially huge queues facing passengers at peak times. This is directly a result of Brexit, and it’s not an issue ministers can now wash their hands of.  

READ ALSO: EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

“With London’s economy roaring back after the pandemic, this sends a terrible signal to both tourists and businesses from around the world.

“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.”

HS1, the owner of the station and operator of the high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel, is the latest body to raise concerns over the impact on travel of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks that are set to come into force in October 2024.

The new system requires citizens from outside the EU or Schengen area to register before entering the zone would lead to long delays and potential capping of services and passenger numbers, HS1 warned.

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The company has also said it needs nearly 50 new EES kiosks to process passengers but the French government had only proposed 24. With just 24 kiosks, Eurostar would be unable to process all passengers, particularly at the morning peak, and this could “lead to services having to be capped in terms of passenger numbers”, HS1 warned, adding that simple space restrictions at St Pancras station would make the EES difficult to implement.

The Port of Dover has already been struggling with the increased checks required since Brexit and there are fears the situation could be even worse once the EES starts to operate.

The EES is for EU external borders – so if you are travelling between France and Germany, for example, nothing changes – but if you are entering France from a non-EU country such as the UK the new system comes into play and applies to all non-EU citizens.