Eurostar passengers leaving London will be capable to keep away from handbook ticket and passport checks by UK officers by means of a brand new facial verification system.
The launch of the expertise at St Pancras station is geared toward easing congestion.
To take part, passengers should use an app earlier than journey to scan their identification doc and confirm their face and ticket.
At the station, they stroll in entrance of a display and have their face detected.
If they’re accredited, they’ll proceed by means of doorways which open robotically.
The SmartCheck system, developed by iProov, is out there to Business Premier and Carte Blanche passengers.
Bags will nonetheless being scanned by safety workers, and border officers in Paris are persevering with to examine passports.
It emerged earlier this yr that Eurostar was being compelled to depart a whole lot of seats empty on trains to and from London to keep away from lengthy queues at stations.
The state of affairs has since improved, however dozens of seats will not be being provided on the market on some companies.
Enhanced post-Brexit checks carried out by French border officers have considerably elevated the time it takes to course of passengers on the station.
Eurostar chief government Gwendoline Cazenave stated: “Providing a seamless station experience to our customers is a priority for Eurostar.
“By introducing SmartCheck, we turn into the primary rail journey operator to undertake biometric face verification.
“This innovation will enhance our customer departure journey, which is crucial to provide Eurostar’s unique travel experience.”
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Andrew Bud, chief government of iProov, stated: “By creating a biometric corridor, we are moving security checks away from the station, saving precious time and space at the border, streamlining the boarding process to one that’s far faster, more convenient, less crowded and stressful, yet even more secure.”
Heathrow Airport started trialling facial biometric scanners in 2019, however the mission was dropped when passenger numbers collapsed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: information.sky.com”