{"id":2873,"date":"2025-12-22T09:42:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T09:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=2873"},"modified":"2025-12-22T09:42:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T09:42:34","slug":"new-eurostar-turn-up-and-go-service-to-cut-waiting-times-to-just-15-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=2873","title":{"rendered":"New Eurostar \u2018turn up and go\u2019 service to cut waiting times to just 15 minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

A major revamp of the\u00a0Eurostar<\/a>\u00a0departure area at\u00a0London<\/a>\u00a0St Pancras is set to be a game-changer for rail travellers heading to Europe.<\/p>\n

Among the planned changes, a new queuing system will be introduced to speed up the\u00a0security<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0boarding<\/a>\u00a0processes \u2014 meaning passengers could turn up for their trains just 15 minutes before it\u2019s due to leave.<\/p>\n

Currently, the small departure zone within the major train station doesn\u2019t exactly offer the best experience for travellers.<\/p>\n

Adrian Quine, the chief exec of Gemini Trains, a start-up rail operator \u2014\u00a0and Eurostar competitor<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 summed it best, describing it as an \u2018underbelly\u2019, adding: \u2018It\u2019s dingy, it\u2019s crowded.\u2019<\/p>\n

But now, the station owner plans to spend up to \u00a3100,000,000 on transforming the area.<\/p>\n

In particular, London St Pancras Highspeed \u2014 the company that operates the station and the line that connects to the Channel Tunnel \u2014 want to change the queuing process, so passengers don\u2019t feel like they\u2019re in a \u2018holding pen\u2019.<\/p>\n

Robert Sinclair, chief executive of London St Pancras Highspeed said: \u2018At the moment, Eurostar asks customers to turn up 60 minutes before departure, sometimes an hour and a half. We both agree that the opportunity is to reduce that down to 15 minutes. We want it to be a \u201cturn up and go\u201d service.\u2019<\/p>\n

According to Sinclair, who spoke to the\u00a0Financial Times<\/a>, this would be achieved by turning the current queue lines sideways, so that people queued out into the empty Eurostar arrivals hall.f<\/p>\n

\u2018A bad outcome at London City is 10 minutes. If we offer that same level of consistency, then people over time will begin to rely on it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sinclair said he hopes to finish the transformation within four years \u2014 the same time that Virgin aims to offer cross-Channel services to passengers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But now, the regulatory green signal puts Virgin on course to introduce cross-Channel services from London St Pancras to Europe within the next five years.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the decision at the time, Sir Richard Branson, said: \u2018The ORR\u2019s decision is the right one for consumers \u2013 it\u2019s time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some\u00a0Virgin\u00a0magic to the cross-Channel route.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A major revamp of the\u00a0Eurostar\u00a0departure area at\u00a0London\u00a0St Pancras is set to be a game-changer for rail travellers heading to Europe. Among the planned changes, a new queuing system will be introduced to speed up the\u00a0security\u00a0and\u00a0boarding\u00a0processes \u2014 meaning passengers could turn up for their trains just 15 minutes before it\u2019s due to leave. Currently, the small […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t