UK: A study has found that international passenger capacity at London St Pancras station could be more than doubled to improve the user experience and potentially facilitate new train services.
Station operator HS1 Ltd commissioned the study from customer experience design agency Active Thinking, which has worked on projects at Heathrow Airport, the 2012 London Olympic Games and Gatwick Airport station.
It found that expanded infrastructure and enhanced border security processes could increase capacity from 1 800 to around 2 400 passengers/h in the next three to four years. Redesigning the layout of the international area could see an increase of up to 5 000 passengers/h in the long term.
The current arrangements at St Pancras have led to long queues for check-in, security and border checks. There is often only standing room available in the crowded departure lounge where passengers wait before boarding. There is concern about these issues being exacerbated when changes to border control protocols, such as the EU’s planned Entry Exit System, are introduced in the coming months.
Enabling more passengers to be processed would reduce the need for travellers to arrive well before departure time, and provide capacity to support the potential launch of additional international rail services.
Last month the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group heard how Channel Tunnel concessionaire Getlink believes that the rail industry has reached a ‘turning point’ which could finally enable the launch of new operators competing with Eurostar. Virgin and Evolyn are among those developing serious proposals for new cross-Channel services.
Next steps
HS1 Ltd will now develop an operational delivery plan and undertake a full design study of how to implement the improvements whilst maintaining the heritage of the Grade I listed station.
‘We are on the cusp of the biggest shake-up to high speed rail travel in a generation and increasing capacity at St Pancras International is one important step along the way’, said HS1 Ltd’s Chief Operating Officer Richard Thorp on December 12. ‘These findings show there is space to cater for more services, presenting an exciting opportunity to enhance the passenger experience. In doing so, we can empower travellers to confidently choose the sustainable option of rail over air.’
