Eurotunnel and IN Groupe have signed a partnership to equip Eurotunnel's terminals with SAS PARAFE (E-Gate) technology, as used in airports, but this time implemented at the vital road and rail border between the UK and France.
Eurotunnel and IN Groupe (formerly Imprimerie Nationale) have signed, in the presence of Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France region, a partnership to equip Eurotunnel's terminals with SAS PARAFE (E-Gate) technology, as used in airports, but this time implemented at the vital road and rail border between the UK and France.
Eurotunnel, which transports more than 11 million passengers each year between Coquelles and Folkestone, is actively progressing its preparations for Brexit.
Being the result of a collective work carried out over several months between Eurotunnel and IN Groupe, under the authority of the Minister of the Interior in France, this high-tech investment financed by Eurotunnel will make it easier for passengers holding biometric passports to cross the border.
The use of this technology contributes to the modernization of operational border management and the evolution towards intelligent management. It also makes possible the dual objective of facilitating and speeding up border crossings which, in the context of an increasing passenger flow and an increase in the quality of border checks provides greater certainty on travellers' identities and the rights associated with these.
For the first phase of this project, the passengers of the 51,000 buses travelling every year, mostly tourists, will be the first to use the facial recognition PARAFE gates from the beginning of April. In addition, two of the 9 PARAFE gates (5 for departures, 4 for arrivals) with new generation facial recognition will be installed in France and the UK and will be available for the relevant authorities to speed up and secure the border crossing.
Later phases will focus on the equipment for Eurotunnel's Flexiplus services and then on a broader roll out. Backed by a high-tech solution that has already proven its worth in French and international airports, IN Groupe, global specialist in corporate identity, has partnered with Gunnebo, the world leader in security solution and services, to deploy its latest generation E-Gates to equip the land border. By reinforcing security while improving the flow of travellers at borders, both on board and on arrival, they contribute to improving passenger satisfaction.
Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France region, said: “I welcome Eurotunnel’s initiative, which reinforces the attractiveness of the Hauts-de-France region and its positioning in relation to competing destinations, by working with IN Groupe, whose history is strongly rooted in the Hauts-de-France.”
Didier Trutt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IN Groupe, said: “With our innovative border control solutions, we provide a powerful and immediately operational response to the security challenges of each state. Today, we are proud to equip the first nonairport border crossing point in Europe.”
Jacques Gounon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Getlink, said: “By becoming the first terminal on the Short Strait to be equipped with facial biometric recognition technology, Eurotunnel again demonstrates its mission to enable easier and faster travel for its customers.”
Product Adopted:Biometrics