Eurostar's struggle for a place in the sun: Why the company is cutting flights

This year, the famous Eurostar train, which is called a symbol of a united Europe, celebrates its 30th anniversary of transporting passengers from London to Paris. At the same time, it is currently facing many challenges.

For many years, it has been the cornerstone of European travel and the most convenient and comfortable gateway to the continent for Britain. But lately, the company has been struggling with a number of issues, such as Brexit, Covid, strikes, and competition, Euronews writes.

For example, after the UK left the EU, there is now a requirement to stamp British passports at the border. At London's St. Pancras station, where Eurostar departs from, this has become a time-consuming operation and has led to the fact that the train, designed to carry 900 passengers, had to limit ticket sales to 550, meaning 350 seats remained unsold.

To combat this, last summer Eurostar introduced the SmartCheck system, which uses biometric facial data to replace manual checks at the UK exit gate. Before travelling, passengers who opt for this service must scan their passport and put their face along with their tickets on the SmartCheck iProov.me app.

When they reach the station, they can use a special SmartCheck corridor with a biometric checkpoint. This allowed them to bypass the passenger limit. According to Eurostar, 50 additional French border control agents have been deployed at the Gare du Nord and London St Pancras stations in Paris.

The side effect of border checks is also being felt on the popular Amsterdam route, which will be restricted for six months this year. The Dutch capital's central station is undergoing a major renovation, which means there will be insufficient space for border equipment and waiting areas for passengers heading to London.

As a result, Eurostar will reduce its Amsterdam-London services from four to three per day from June to early 2025. Passengers returning to London will have to change trains in Brussels, where security checks and passports will be carried out. This change will increase the travel time to one hour and 48 minutes for services heading to the UK.

Another problem for Eurostar is the new entry-exit system (EES), which is due to come into effect in October. Non-EU citizens will be subject to biometric checks before entering the international zone in London. This is likely to lead to even longer queues. This could also lead to a further reduction in services and passenger numbers, the company added.

In addition, Eurostar is also facing competitors who can reduce costs for travellers. At the end of 2023, the new railway operator Evolyn announced plans to purchase a fleet of 12 trains to serve the London-Paris line. The Spanish firm with mysterious investors plans to start operations in 2025. This will be the first time that Eurostar will face competition in its 30-year history.

In addition, the Virgin Group, founded by billionaire Sir Richard Branson, may also challenge Eurostar's monopoly. Although the project is still in its early stages, it reportedly aims to serve routes from London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam.

From 2028, the newly created rail operator Heuro says it will add another alternative to Eurostar between Amsterdam, Paris and London. Heuro plans 16 flights per day from Amsterdam to Paris, and 15 flights per day from Amsterdam to London.

It is emphasized that Eurostar is also fighting for its reputation after the French staff of Eurotunnel went on strike at the end of December 2023. The protest was staged over bonuses and working conditions, with some trains diverted back to Paris, and thousands of passengers stranded.

At the same time, it is reported that amid all these setbacks, Eurostar still announced that it carried 18.6 million passengers in 2023, which is 22 percent more than in 2022.

Read about an interesting trip on the Scottish railroad, which TravelWise previously wrote about.