Eurostar Help Please

[SephenWorceste]

Last year (Jubilee Weekend) I travelled back from Lille to London. On arrival at St Pancras we had a passport check. Is that the usual procedure? I thought all formaiities were done before departure. It was a Brussels train if that is a factor.

The reason I ask is I am planning my next trip and wondering how much time to allow from St Pancras arrival to departure from Euston. I had thought about an hour. Do you think that is about right?

I loved my first Europan rail trip to the South of France. I am now addicted. This year Spain and possible Italy in 2014.

Thank you in advance, Stephen.

PS We also had a ticket check and baggage reconciliation on the train.

 

[TGVDUDE]

Last year (Jubilee Weekend) I travelled back from Lille to London. On arrival at St Pancras we had a passport check. Is that the usual procedure? I thought all formaiities were done before departure. It was a Brussels train if that is a factor.

Did they not check at Lille then? Last time I used Eurostar in 2009 there was no passport check arriving into st pancras, it was probably a heightened measure for the jubilee weekend?

 

[33056]

Seems to be the norm these days, have had a passport and ticket check at St. Pancras on at least our two most recent trips (December and last month) and that is on top of two passport checks at Brussels (and a stamp on the ticket); a read of this thread will put you in the picture as to why it is done. I am not sure if the same happens to trains that don't call at Lille as I haven't been on a train that doesn't stop there for a very long time.

Regarding the luggage being checked on the train, did it have your name on it? (they do ask you to make sure that luggage left in the end of the coach is labelled). Ours always is and we have never been asked to go and identify it.

Regarding getting from St Pancras to Euston we managed to comfortably get a train from Euston under an hour after arriving on both the trips mentioned above but if you are using advance tickets you might want to leave more time just to be sure.

Edit:
Should have mentioned that we walk to Euston, quicker than faffing about with the underground.

 

[corin paul]

Yes it is the case that UK do the checks. At Paris they check at there end still, but Belgium scene to leave it to us.

http://railphotoarchive.org/rpc_zoom.php?img=1364021501000

In the back ground are the passenages for borading, with a large area for dutyfree, passport control and security checks.

 

[Oscar]

There are French/Belgian (respectively) passport checks, UK passport checks and security screening at Brussels and Paris. The UK Border Agency reserve and sometimes carry out the right to carry out checks at St. Pancras. In practice this only tends to happen sometimes on Brussels trains (which stop at Lille). The National Rail Timetable minimum connection time between St. Pancras and Euston is 38 minutes.

 

[onein37]

I never got checked last year at St.Pancras when returning from Paris. But I did allow about 2 hours for a Euston departure, just to be on the safe side. Also walked to Euston from St.Pancras.

 

[starrymarkb]

Joys of not being in Schengen

 

[SephenWorceste]

Thank you. It look like we may or may not have a check at St Pancras. I will get a slightly later train at Euston. If we are early we can always entertain ourselves at Euston!

On my previous trip we did UK border control at Lille, Shortly after Lille there was a ticket check and then a luggage check. The luggage check involved each bag being pointed at and the passenger say mine. Of course bags at the end of the carriage meant passengers getting up from their seats. If bags were not claimed the name of the passenger on the label was tanoyed. The extra staff and any unclaimed baggage was unloaded at an unscheduled stop in Calais. On arrival at St Pancras all passports were checked in the arrival hall.

Thank you, Stephen.

 

[corin paul]

I booked tickets by Eurostar and they gave about 1h00 between King's Cross arrving and St. Pancras departure time. Bothways.

http://railphotoarchive.org/rpc_zoom.php?img=0934000840000

 

[cle]

It's a 10 min walk max - but as you mentioned, The Euston Tap provides perfect entertainment! The one at platform level in St Pancras is quite nice too, watching the arriving Eurostars.

 

[johnnychips]

If you choose your carriage on the Eurostar carefully, you can be near the front of the passport check queue by being near the St Pancras platform exit. Off hand, I think the front, rather than the back from Brussels, but not at the very front. Sure someone will be able to be a bit more specific than this.

 

[30907]

Think it's coach 2

 

[SephenWorceste]

Thank you regarding the best coach. It will help to get ahead of the queue and cut down on the walking distance. The Eurostars are such long trains.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[20Man]

The front coach from Brussels is fine for beating the queue at St Pancras as most people use the travellator to go down, walk past the front of the train and there are escalators, I always use these and have always found them quicker.