If you’ve ever found yourself in what feels like a kilometre long queue while trying to get on your Eurostar train at Amsterdam Centraal, we have some good news for you.
Amsterdam Centraal is finally installing e-gates at its border control. This means that an entire train-worth of passengers will no longer have to pass through two (always ridiculously handsome) Marechaussee agents before boarding their train.
This improvement comes after the House of Representatives stepped in, with the house voting in favour of a proposal for e-gates submitted by ChristenUnie, VVD, D66, Pro, JA21, and CDA.
However, when exactly the e-gates will be installed, remains unknown, Treinreiziger.nl reports.
What are e-gates?
Perhaps the greatest invention after sliced bread, e-gates are automated self-service gates used at border controls. If you’ve ever travelled through Schiphol, you’ve likely sighed with relief when they’ve been turned on at passport control.
While they may not include the abnormally attractive Marechaussee agents, they offer a much faster way of checking people’s passports before they cross a border.
It’s for this reason that travel agency Rover and other politicians pushed hard for the House of Representatives to get them installed at Amsterdam Centraal.
No more delays (hopefully)
Indeed, something needs to speed up at Centraal. At the moment, no less than two-thirds of Eurostar trains leaving the station are delayed.
And what’s to blame? The insanely long queue of course. Daan Zieren, director of Rover tells Treinreiziger.nl that:
“Over the past few months, we have repeatedly drawn attention to the untenable situation at border control. The fact that a large majority of the House of Representatives is now opting for e-gates is an important step forward. The Cabinet must now get to work quickly so that travelers do not have to stand in line unnecessarily for months to come.”
Fingers crossed, the wait for e-gates won’t be as long as the wait in that godforsaken queue.
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