Eurostar to roll out facial verification technology from next year
Eurostar is set to roll out facial verification technology on services from London, meaning that passengers will be able to skip borders and ticket checks.
The new technology, from biometric authentication firm iProov, will allow passengers to make entirely contactless journeys through the deployment of a facial biometric corridor at St Pancras station.
The UK-based firm has won a “first of a kind” competition run by the Department for Transport to supply the technology, which will be in operation by March next year.
Those passengers who opt in to using the technology will be offered an accelerated pre-boarding option prior to travelling.
Having first scanned their travel documents using the Eurostar app, they would then use iProov’s software on themselves to authenticate their identity against the documents.
The passenger would then receive a message confirming that their identity document had been secured and a ticket or passport would not need to be shown again until they reached their destination.
On arrival at St Pancras International, the passenger would enter the contactless travel corridor and proceed in distanced fashion before boarding the train.
Gareth Williams, Eurostar’s strategy director, said that the technology would “enhance our passenger experience and offer a live illustration of how innovation can benefit the high speed rail and international transport industries.”
iProov chief executive Andrew Bud said the technology was further proof of how “opt-in facial verification is making life easier and safer for people around the world”.
“What started off as a project to reduce travel congestion and keep passengers moving is now going to help keep people safe in a pandemic world through social distancing and contactless interaction”, he added.
iProov already works with banks around the world, as well the US department of homeland security.