How long before departure do I need to get to Lille Europe for a Eurostar to Brussels?

Question

I'm booked on a Eurostar from Lille to Brussels (ie it's a London to Brussels Eurostar, and I'm getting on it after it has crossed the channel)

The PDF ticket that I've received from Eurostar says I need to be there a minimum of 45 minutes before. I have a feeling that this is just the same ticket template as for a trip from London, and it doesn't apply. The last time I was in Lille Europe station, trains from London would arrive on the non-secure platforms while trains to London would use the secure ones.

Do I need to get to Lille Europe station 45 minutes before I catch my train? I wouldn't need to if it was a normal SNCF train from Lille to Brussels.

Answer 1

Here is what actually happened!

I got to Lille Europe early enough to honour the one hour requirement and checked with a member of the Eurostar staff who said I didn't need to take this into account; I was therefore able to kill a bit more time with family.

I returned to the station fifteen minutes before departure, by which time the train's platform had been announced, and sure enough it was a non-secure platform. I was able to go onto the platform with my family without any checks, neither for ticket nor for security.

While we waited for the train to arrive, a security guard came to confirm that we were indeed travelling to Brussels. I explained that it was just me, and he asked to see my ticket. The fact that my wife and children were also on the platform didn't pose a problem and they were able to stay and wait for the train to depart.

So, it was as I suspected, the ticket for Lille>Brussels is exactly the same format as the other tickets, including the warning about being an hour early, but in the end it wasn't necessary.

I was put in carriage 8, which is in the middle of the train.

Please also see Ben Watson's post.

One other thing: apart from a visual inspection of my ticket by the security guard (he didn't scan it) there was no other check of my ticket on the whole journey: not on the train, nor on my arrival at Brussels.

Answer 2

No you don't need to get there that early. Just turn up as early as you would for any domestic train. You don't have to do passport control or pass through the normal Eurostar security.

Lille to Brussels Eurostar travellers are put into the last carriage to separate them from UK -> Brussels travellers and guards on the train ensure that passengers can't leave this carriage.

Answer 3

The Eurostar page for Lille says

WHEN TO ARRIVE AT THE STATION
There’s no need to check in for Eurostar, just scan your ticket at the ticket gate.

There follows a table with an entry

How long before departure does the gate close?

For all classes of travel it give 30 minutes except Business Premier class is 20 minutes.

Answer 4

You presume that the same ticket template is used for all stations. I think this is incorrect.

Eurostar's "When to Arrive" page shows recommended times for arrival at Eurostar stations. Here are two screenshots with more accessible versions.

First, for boarding at Lille:

	Standard and Standard Premier	Business Premier	Carte Blanche	Classique and Advantage	Special Assist
How long before departure should I arrive? (mins)	90	45–60	60–75	90	75–90
How long before departure does the gate close? (mins)	30	20	30	30	30

Second, for boarding at London / St. Pancras:

	Standard and Standard Premier	Business Premier	Carte Blanche	Classique and Advantage	Special Assist
How long before departure should I arrive? (mins)	90–120	45–60	45–60	90–120	60–75
How long before departure does the gate close? (mins)	30	15	30	30	30

The times are different.

This Eurostar help page says:

When should I arrive for my train?

Please download your ticket to see what time we recommend you arrive at the station.

Your recommended arrival time might change nearer your travel dates. So, if you downloaded your ticket a while ago, it’s a good idea to download it again before you set off.

If you haven’t booked a trip yet, you can check all of our station arrival times in our guide. These timings are just for guidance and can sometimes change.

Your ticket shows even different times. This suggests to me that the ticket information is more journey-specific than the general guidance or guides displayed on the web. Eurostar isn't SNCF, and it doesn't seem prudent to extrapolate from one to the other.

I'd follow the guidance on your Eurostar ticket.