Eurostar Tests Facial Scans to Replace Passport, Ticket Checks
Eurostar Tests Facial Scans to Replace Passport, Ticket Checks
(Bloomberg) -- Rail travelers to Paris could soon be allowed to board with a scan of their face, as Eurostar International Ltd tests a digital system for ticket and passport checks at London St. Pancras station.
For two weeks from the end of November, Eurostar will invite some customers to provide identity, passport and other details before travel. This will allow them to skip both the ticket check on arrival at St Pancras and U.K. passport control. Passengers will still have to show their documents to French border guards before boarding in London.
The move marks a further effort to minimize friction and make the rail link a more attractive alternative to flying between London and Paris, following a tough 18 months during the Covid-19 pandemic. Eurostar got a 250-million pound ($340 million) rescue package in May after revenue plunged because of travel restrictions ushered in by the virus.
The trial is being conducted with the U.K.’s Department for Transport and there isn’t a fixed timeline to roll it out more widely, a Eurostar spokeswoman said.
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