Eurostar Marseille

[finlaywilson2]

Does anyone if Eurostar plans to return to Marseille, and if any progress has been made on the Bordeaux London direct route?

 

[williamn]

I think the chances of this coming back are close to zero in the near future, they are concentrating on their core routes. It’s a shame though!

 

[finlaywilson2]

I think the chances of this coming back are close to zero in the near future, they are concentrating on their core routes. It’s a shame though!

Big shame! Though I have to admit it was a pain having to get of and re board at Lille!

 

[zwk500]

Big shame! Though I have to admit it was a pain having to get of and re board at Lille!

Even the ski trains appear to be changing at Lille, not even a reboard shuffle. Given they've pulled out of Disneyland, I really can't see any expansion again for a long time. Other than waiting for Eurostar to stabilised it's finances, the potential remains for one of the several parties interested in operating to London through the Tunnel to offer alternative routes rather than direct competition.

 

[Bald Rick]

They‘ll be waiting to see how the new border control arrangements work out at St Pancras. I can’t see any decisions on through trains beyond Paris until they are reasonably certain that they can achieve the passenger throughput necessary to enable them. (Paris is a much more lucrative market).

Eurostar weren’t in for the Bordeaux services, that was HS1 making a sales pitch.

 

[Chester1]

Its not likely before summer 2025. The UK starts the roll out of UK Electronic Travel Authorisation in November for Qataris, with groups of nationalities being added from February 2024. The EU is launching ETIAS in summer 2024 for all non EU and EEA nationalities that do not require a visa to visit Schengen zone. Both should speed up border formalites once they have bedded in but are likely to cause delays and limit capacity at St Pancras when they launch.

 

[Cloud Strife]

The EU is launching ETIAS in summer 2024 for all non EU and EEA nationalities that do not require a visa to visit Schengen zone. Both should speed up border formalites once they have bedded in but are likely to cause delays and limit capacity at St Pancras when they launch.

ETIAS is by no means certain to start next year. There are a lot of issues with the EES (Entry/Exit System) and ETIAS, namely that ETIAS can't come into operation until the EES is implemented properly. And it is simply nowhere near ready for implementation, not least because some of the land borders like La Linea in Spain simply don't have the capacity to scan every single identity document on both entry and exit.

IMO, the most likely scenario is that the EES and ETIAS will be launched for air travellers only.

 

[zwk500]

ETIAS is by no means certain to start next year. There are a lot of issues with the EES (Entry/Exit System) and ETIAS, namely that ETIAS can't come into operation until the EES is implemented properly. And it is simply nowhere near ready for implementation, not least because some of the land borders like La Linea in Spain simply don't have the capacity to scan every single identity document on both entry and exit.

IMO, the most likely scenario is that the EES and ETIAS will be launched for air travellers only.

Given the low number of stations involved, and the potential gains from EES and ETIAS, there's evert chance St Pancras and Eurostar would be part of any restricted launch.

 

[Chester1]

No, ETIAS Won't Become Operational in 2024, EU Sources Say

The European Union has once again postponed the launch date of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), EU sources have confirmed. While so far, the EU has continuously claimed the ETIAS would become operational by mid-2024, an EU official has confirmed for...

www.schengenvisainfo.com

No, ETIAS Won’t Become Operational in 2024, EU Sources Say

The European Union has once again postponed the launch date of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), EU sources have confirmed.

While so far, the EU has continuously claimed the ETIAS would become operational by mid-2024, an EU official has confirmed for SchengenVisaInfo.com that the go-live date for ETIAS has now been delayed to May 2025.

We had initially hoped for the EES to become operational by the end of this year or, at the latest, the beginning of the next year. Due to unforeseen delays, it has become evident that this timeline is unattainable. As a result, the implementation of the ETIAS has been rescheduled to May 2025, with the possibility of further postponement - EU Official

The Entry /Exit System (EES) is another EU border security system, an automated IT system that, in the future, will register travellers from third countries each time they cross an EU external border. The system has been continuously postponed alongside the ETIAS.


Both systems are deeply linked. Though the Entry/Exit can function properly without the ETIAS, it is impossible for the latter to become operational without the EES - EU Official

Anitta Hipper, the EU Commission’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Migration and Internal Security, had previously confirmed for SchengenVisaInfo.com that the ETIAS cannot become effective without the EES.


The entry into operation of ETIAS can only take place five to six months after the entry into operation of the EES - Anitta Hipper

The postponement of the ETIAS has also been confirmed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the same, the launch of the ETIAS is planned for 2025, without specifying a more precise period when that is supposed to happen.


On the other hand, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration has pointed out that the scheme will not become operational before May 2025, which means it might be postponed at an even later date.

Currently, the ETIAS go-live is expected in May 2025 at the earliest. - Swiss State Secretariat for Migration

The EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, however, does not give an exact date for the ETIAS implementation yet.

The date of the entry into operation of ETIAS is not yet known. It is expected to be announced at the end of 2023 - Migration and Home Affairs

The EES implementation date remains 2024, with the eu-LISA expected to come up with an exact date in the following months before the end of the year.

Back in July, the Belgian delegation to the Working Party on Frontiers and Mixed Committee suggested through a non-paper the decoupling of the ETIAS with other databases in order to make it possible to become effective in May 2024. No movement has been made towards this proposal so far.

EES is still due to launch next year but ETIAS will be delayed until at least May 2025. This raises the prospect of UK ETA being fully rolled out before ETIAS even launches. Hopefully UK ETA being phased in by groups of nationalities and the EU launching EES and ETIAS seperately will reduce disruption. EES will mean non EU citizens will need photo and fingerprints taken on first entry into EU under new system but after that they will no longer need passports stamping. After some disruption enrolling Brits we will be close to pre brexit border formalities. Crucially for Eurostar non EU Citizens that don't require visit visas and that have always needed stamps e.g. Americans, will no longer need passport stamps. I can't see Eurostar running non core services until 2026 now.