Sawt Falasteen - UK rail operators set for new EU border checks

A phased launch from October 12 of the Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU nationals replaces passport stamps with fingerprints and face photos thanks to a series of scanners installed at airports, ports and railway stations across Europe.

With Britain no longer part of the EU following Brexit, Eurostar and Tunnel operator Getlink have installed new systems in the country at a cost of tens of millions of euros (dollars).

"Everything is ready, everything is prepared and everything has been tested already with hundreds of customers," Getlink chief executive Yann Leriche told AFP on Tuesday near the entrance to the Tunnel in Folkestone, southeast England, that connects to France.

"We are absolutely confident that it will be a success in October", Leriche added, amid concerns the new system could cause travel delays.

The CEO noted that six out of 10 cars departing the UK were using the Tunnel to cross the Channel, with the remaining 40 percent using ferries from nearby Dover port.

"So for us, it was very, very important that we provide the best experience for our customers regarding EES," he said.

Eurostar, whose passengers will use the scanners before trains depart London to pass through the Tunnel, also expressed confidence regarding the reliability of its scanners when inviting AFP to see its new setup on Monday.

"We're not changing our check-in time for our customers... because we've really invested intensely, massively to prepare for EES," Eurostar's chief safety and stations officer, Simon Lejeune, told AFP.

Getlink said it had spent 80 million euros on its news systems installed in the UK and France, while Lejeune said Eurostar had "invested up to 11 million euros to be ready for EES".

The new system will record a non-EU national's details and biometric data along with their date of entry and exit, keeping track of overstays and refused entries.

AFP journalists noted that some glitches remained ahead of the UK launch, with some Eurostar and Channel Tunnel scanners not operating smoothly.

H.Nasr--SF-PST