Eurostar’s peak capacity is 30% lower than before Brexit because of additional border checks required for British travellers.
The cross-Channel train operator is also facing “unique impacts” on its finances as a result of the pandemic, and a struggle to recruit engineers.
The challenges were detailed by Jacques Damas, outgoing chief executive of Eurostar, in a letter to Huw Merriman MP, the chair of the transport select committee.
Merriman had written to Damas earlier this month, asking about the closure of Ebbsfleet and Ashford international stations in Kent, and the axing of Disneyland Paris services from next summer.
He told Merriman that “despite the return to travel, Eurostar cannot currently pursue a strategy of volume and growth”.
“We are having to focus services on those core routes which make the maximum contribution per train and to charge higher prices to our customers,” he explained.
Commenting on post-Brexit border checks, Damas wrote: “Since c.40% of our customers are UK nationals, this has resulted in a significant increase in the processing times at stations.
“The stamping of British passports by continental police adds at least 15 seconds to individual passengers’ border crossing times.”
In short, the reasons are:
the financial position post-pandemic
additional border checks post-Brexit, and
a shortage of engineers— Huw Merriman MP (@HuwMerriman) September 27, 2022
He said Eurostar has taken action to help the situation but added: “However, as things stand, peak capacity through the stations is c.30% lower than pre-Brexit.
“Even with all booths manned, St Pancras can currently process a maximum 1500 passengers per hour vs. 2200 in 2019.
“It is only the fact that Eurostar has capacity-limited trains and significantly reduced its timetable from 2019 levels, that we are not seeing daily queues in the centre of London similar to those experienced in the Channel ports.
He said it means the service cannot cater to the “high demand” on core routes linking capital cities, and re-opening the intermediate stations would take away “vital border police resources” from London.
Damas said the pandemic mean revenues were cut by 95% for 15 months in 2020-21 and the service as “hit hard” by the Omicron wave in December 2021 and early 2022, with a further impact of at least £50 million.
“Contrary to the £7 billion in state aid given to our airline competitors…Eurostar did not receive any state- backed loans,” he said.
“Our shareholders put a further £250 million into the business…but Eurostar needed to find an additional £500 million in commercial debt in order to survive.”
Outlining the problem with recruiting 40 engineers, he said: “Eurostar did not make any operational staff redundant during the pandemic but we were struggling to replace those who left and this has resulted in a numbers and skills gap.”
He also flagged up “the uncertainty” regarding the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES), which is set to start in 2023, and other challenges such as the energy crisis and new work-from-home habits.
“At the same time the business itself faces nearly £100 million in increased inflationary pressures,” he said.
Merriman said on Twitter: “The #TransportCommittee will write to new Minister and Rail Regulator for observations and interventions to support #Eurostar; a vital cog in our transport system.”
Picture of Eurostar passengers at St Pancras: Alena Veasey/Shutterstock.com