St Pancras timings for Eurostar

[MadMarsupial]

That was what was announced by the train manager on eventually leaving Brussels. Of course the information we were given could have been wrong or it could have been "action short of a strike". The problem also affected passengers from Amsterdam so it was unlikely to be a broken machine this time. The situation at Rotterdam looked as if it was handled by Netherlands Railway staff given what they were wearing.

 

[DanielB]

Well, can imagine that everyone needs to be re-checked even if only in Rotterdam the machine is broken. Otherwise bypassing the border checks would become at bit too easy.

As far as I remember at least part of the security staff guarding the platform is indeed from NS, assisted by the police. But it could well have been a staff shortage, those are huge here a the moment. Especially in public transport.

 

[TFN]

Today ( 30th June ) no passport checks or security at Rotterdam. We were allowed on the train but were offloaded at Brussels to leave the train and to go through their Eurostar entrance security procedures. Little help or direction on leaving the train but if you found your way to the Eurostar entrance the system worked very well. Arrived 78 minutes late at St Pancras so 30% voucher or 25% cash due. We were told over the pa that the problem was due to industrial action by Dutch security staff?

This happened on Thursday as well. I was at Brussels when they announced that due to "staff action" in the Netherlands the train would be delayed by 60-80 mins. This was the last train from Brussels and originated in Amsterdam.

In the end we were only delayed 40 mins as the checks didn't take long and Eurostar arranged for a Paris train to stop at Lille, so ours skipped Lille.

It seems this is becoming a recurring thing but there's no publicity on it at all?

 

[DanielB]

As mentioned before that announced reason is a bit weird, as there's no staff action going on in the Netherlands. Only bus drivers that are member of the FNV union are on strike, but only in a few regions a day and most drivers are working, so that wouldn't impact the ability of security staff to get to work.

I'd suspect that the huge shortage of security staff at Schiphol Airport is contributing. Possibly security staff working via an employment agency will prefer to work there (as they've negotiated a summer bonus at the airport), resulting in no security staff in the Eurostar lounge. NS, being the formal operator for Eurostar within the Netherlands, has had multiple issues due to not paying enough recently.
For example rail replacement buses often result in chaos at the moment as the coach operators prefer to deploy their scarce staff to more profitable orders.

 

[Birdbrain]

Replying here rather than starting a new thread.

On Friday I’m arriving at Waterloo at 1550, due to tfl strikes thinking of walking to Blackfriars and using thameslink to get to St Pancras Hoping to arrive at St Pancras at around 1630 for the 1804 Amsterdam. For those that have used StP recently, does this sound reasonable?

Happy to cross London another way, but have no experience of doing so during a strike. Ideas?

 

[Trainbike46]

Replying here rather than starting a new thread.

On Friday I’m arriving at Waterloo at 1550, due to tfl strikes thinking of walking to Blackfriars and using thameslink to get to St Pancras Hoping to arrive at St Pancras at around 1630 for the 1804 Amsterdam. For those that have used StP recently, does this sound reasonable?

Last time I arrived about an hour and 10 minutes before my train left and that was fine. That was in July on a sunday morning with a Paris train 10 minutes before my Amsterdam train

 

[riceuten]

Replying here rather than starting a new thread.

On Friday I’m arriving at Waterloo at 1550, due to tfl strikes thinking of walking to Blackfriars and using thameslink to get to St Pancras Hoping to arrive at St Pancras at around 1630 for the 1804 Amsterdam. For those that have used StP recently, does this sound reasonable?

Happy to cross London another way, but have no experience of doing so during a strike. Ideas?

Or you could catch the 59 bus https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/59/

 

[deltic]

Or you could catch the 59 bus https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/59/

The 59, 68 or 168 will take you from Waterloo to Euston - a 10 minute walk to St Pancras or there are a number of buses you can catch - the 59 no longer goes to Kings Cross

 

[riceuten]

The 59, 68 or 168 will take you from Waterloo to Euston - a 10 minute walk to St Pancras or there are a number of buses you can catch - the 59 no longer goes to Kings Cross

It doesn't, but it stops just before Euston and this is closer to St Pancras.

 

[dutchflyer]

Where as I now sit in the boarding/waiting hall in LON after having done the complete entry procedure in about 15-20 mins (some delay as the system refused to let me pass electronically) with hardly any long waiting and even with a few spare seats to sit down, having left Oxford this morning and squeezing on an InterRail also a ride on the new Elisabeth line in between-from Abbey Wood to here on Th.Link, I can only say it went smoothly and reasonably fast. St. Pancras such overcrowded-LMR seemed to have probs again. The 14.31 to Paris just being called for, myself to BRUssel and change onward home.
Overworried nanny state? EuroStar sent me a @mail yesterday telling it is HOT and one must take enough water and that-other as airlines-it will not refuse fluids in the safety screening. It is not that hot today anymore, but who cares.

 

[Birkonian]

My experience of St. Pancras this year is that passengers are arriving earlier causing a queue back from the ticket barriers. There are delays at the barriers because the baggage check is immediately beyond the barriers and a bottleneck occurs. There is not much that be done about the design but movement would be a lot quicker if passengers were better prepared. They've queued for 20+ minutes and only when reaching the carousel do they remove their coats, scarfs, belts and take their phones and cash from their pockets. It is behaviour that irks me more than a bit.

 

[zwk500]

My experience of St. Pancras this year is that passengers are arriving earlier causing a queue back from the ticket barriers. There are delays at the barriers because the baggage check is immediately beyond the barriers and a bottleneck occurs. There is not much that be done about the design but movement would be a lot quicker if passengers were better prepared. They've queued for 20+ minutes and only when reaching the carousel do they remove their coats, scarfs, belts and take their phones and cash from their pockets. It is behaviour that irks me more than a bit.

The thing I found was causing the most delay is passengers not moving the returned tray to the end before putting everything back in their pockets. Instead they seem to insist on repacking their bags as soon as the tray has cleared the acrylic barrier, meaning the 3 trays behind it can't be got at and nothing else can be sent through the scanner until the selfish prat has redressed themselves. Loading up the trays was not of itself a massive problem.

 

[edwin_m]

My experience of St. Pancras this year is that passengers are arriving earlier causing a queue back from the ticket barriers. There are delays at the barriers because the baggage check is immediately beyond the barriers and a bottleneck occurs. There is not much that be done about the design but movement would be a lot quicker if passengers were better prepared. They've queued for 20+ minutes and only when reaching the carousel do they remove their coats, scarfs, belts and take their phones and cash from their pockets. It is behaviour that irks me more than a bit.

But if you tried to get them to do that sooner, they would do so before the barrier and many of them would have hidden their tickets somewhere and have to find them again before they could proceed. The airport system works better, with boarding passes scanned before joining the security queue where people have plenty of time to prepare for screening, but as you note that's not really practicable here.

 

[mike57]

We booked Eurostar for the end of September, and on the tickets its advising arriving around 75 mins before, does this sound reasonable at the moment? We arrive in London the night before so not a problem to be in plenty of time, but equally dont want to be stood any longer than I need to because I have a dodgy knee, not enough to affect mobility, but standing seems to aggravate it.

 

[Davester50]

On Friday I’m arriving at Waterloo at 1550, due to tfl strikes thinking of walking to Blackfriars and using thameslink to get to St Pancras Hoping to arrive at St Pancras at around 1630 for the 1804 Amsterdam. For those that have used StP recently, does this sound reasonable?

No. Last week was a zoo, with set swaps and late departures.
Texts advising of 120 minute arrival before departure.
Return was again a late departure due to backlogs through customs and immigration.

With a Paris departure at 1801, I would be there two hours before.

 

[Birdbrain]

No. Last week was a zoo, with set swaps and late departures.
Texts advising of 120 minute arrival before departure.
Return was again a late departure due to backlogs through customs and immigration.

With a Paris departure at 1801, I would be there two hours before.

As it turned out, I arrived at the Thamslink platforms at 1620 and was inside the departure lounge at 1635. I must have been lucky as we then had to stand for an hour and a quarter waiting for boarding And left on time at 1804

 

[30907]

OT (as I had a ridiculously quick passage outward) but in Paris just now at 1615 for the 1713 I was through to the lounge inside 10min. Meanwhile pushing 100 people for the 1813 were being held back. Train is full in SP and I guess in Std too.
Moral: don't arrive too early!

 

[Davester50]

As it turned out, I arrived at the Thamslink platforms at 1620 and was inside the departure lounge at 1635. I must have been lucky as we then had to stand for an hour and a quarter waiting for boarding And left on time at 1804

Glad you made it.
The small departure area really isn't big enough since the Border formalities became more robust...