London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed concern today about the “terrible signal” that would be sent to the world by the “chaos” that could be at St Pancras station, where the Eurostar arrives, when a new system of entry and exit checks comes into force from the European Union Join.

Third-country nationals entering the European Union will be subject to an automated Entry/Exit System (EES) from the end of 2024.

This central database will include in particular the traveller’s facial photographs and digital fingerprints.

Last month a British parliamentary committee warned of the significant delays, up to 14 hours according to its members, that the EES system could cause at the border.

And especially at London St Pancras railway station, where Eurostar trains arrive, an essential rail link for the British capital.

“As things currently stand, these new controls in the post-Brexit era will wreak havoc on St Pancras, with reduced services and potentially huge queues for passengers at peak times,” he worried in a bulletin today. press, the Labor mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

THE he himself called on the government to “not wash its hands” for this “immediate consequence of Brexit”, which would send “a terrible signal to tourists and businesses around the world”, at a time when the British economy is only just recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rail company Eurostar, as well as High Speed ​​1 (HS1), the company that operates the rail line, which links London to the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, have also expressed concern.

Eurostar believes the new system was originally designed for airports rather than terminals located in train stations.

The Mayor of London estimates that St Pancras station will have just 24 EES check-in counters, which will be provided by the French government, “while models suggest almost 50 will be needed during peak hours”.

“Ministers must therefore give HS1 and Eurostar all the support they need to resolve these issues as a matter of urgency. Service reductions and longer delays are simply not an option,” insisted Sadiq Khan.