St Pancras guide
When does Eurostar announce the platform at St Pancras?
When boarding opens, and not a minute before. Here is why, and what you can do in the meantime.
Updated 3 October 2026
Short answer: at London St Pancras, the platform for your Eurostar is shown on the departure lounge screens when boarding opens, roughly 20 to 30 minutes before departure. Until then the screens show the train without a platform.
20 minutes or 30?
Eurostar's own station guide says boarding is announced around 20 minutes before departure. Since summer 2025, passengers at St Pancras have been able to board up to 30 minutes before departure, a change made to ease crowding in the lounge. In practice, expect the platform somewhere in that window. Premier passengers, whose gates close later, may find boarding already open by the time they reach the lounge.
Why it waits
The lounge is shared by several departures at once. Announcing a platform early would send a crowd to the travelators long before the train is ready, blocking them for everyone else. Holding the announcement until boarding keeps people seated, then moves them all at once. It works for the station. It is less fun for you, sitting with your bags and watching a blank space on the screen.
Is the platform known before it is shown?
Usually, yes. A railway does not decide a platform at the last second: trains are planned onto platforms in advance, and most of the time that plan holds. It is not set in stone, though. Plans move during the day as trains run early or late, which is why a platform you heard about earlier can still change and why the board always has the last word.
What to do with the time
- Know which pair your platform belongs to (5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and 10). Each pair has its own way up.
- Check your coach number on your ticket now. When the platform appears, you will know at once which travelator to take.
- Keep bags packed and close. The first few minutes after the announcement are the busiest.