EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Getlink has completed a €80m three-year programme of changes to its car and lorry shuttle train terminals at Folkestone and Coquelles ahead of the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System, which is now scheduled for November 2024.
EES is an automated system for registering the name, type of travel document, biometric data and date and place of entry and exit for non-EU nationals each time they cross an EU external border. This will replace manual stamping of passports.
‘The redesign of our terminals and the completion of the civil works are important achievements that have allowed us to optimise our traffic flows’, said Getlink Yann Leriche on August 27. ‘The Channel Tunnel is the busiest land border in France, it is thus essential to offer a service that is compliant with the upcoming EES regulation while maintaining a high level of fluidity, exactly what our customers look for when crossing with LeShuttle.’
Covered zones of 7 000 m² have been created for vehicles at the two terminals, and total of 224 EES kiosks specifically designed by IN Group for vehicle passengers have been installed.
Major works at the Folkestone terminal include provision of additional space for the EES technology and for French border police. The pre-registration area has a fully enclosed drive-through zone to protect passengers from the weather while they use the EES control bays. Up to 53 vehicles can be accommodated simultaneously with each bay equipped with two kiosks for non-EU nationals to conduct fingerprint and facial scans.
On arrival at the terminal, a vehicle’s number plate is read by a camera. This is then automatically combined with the advanced passenger information supplied during booking to determine the status of passengers as EU nationals, non-EU travellers or people who already registered with EES. The vehicle is then guided to the correct parking space.
As part of the planning, Getlink developed a digital twin of the terminal layout using artificial intelligence to evaluate different configurations and scenarios. The resulting system can accommodate up to 2 000 passengers, or 700 vehicles per hour.
