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St Pancras Plans 30-Minute Cut to Eurostar Boarding With Direct Train Access

The plan responds to severe bottlenecks by tying faster boarding to a £100 million station remodel.

Overview

  • London St Pancras Highspeed outlined proposals to let passengers bypass departure halls and go straight to the train.
  • Current guidance asks travellers to arrive 45 to 75 minutes before departure, and no immediate change has been confirmed.
  • The boarding overhaul is linked to a £100 million remodelling that will extend queuing into the adjacent arrivals hall.
  • Station leaders cite overcrowding driven by expanded security and border checks, calling it a mismatch between route and station capacity.
  • Throughput has risen from 1,800 to 2,000 travellers per hour, with nearly 5,000 per hour targeted by end‑2028 as the hub prepares for prospective services from Virgin Trains and Trenitalia by 2030.