The summer has seen a rash of headlines about possible competitors to the Eurostar's cross-Channel train route - but what happened to the plan to expand the cramped waiting areas at St Pancras?

Eurostar might, or might not, be soon facing competition on the London-Paris route, as negotiations continue to open up the franchise.

READ ALSO: UK-France travel - 'There will be competition to the Eurostar by 2030'

For most travellers, however, a more immediate problem is the cramped and over-crowded waiting and security-processing areas, especially at London's Saint Pancras station.

So what happened to the plan to expand it and allow more space for passengers?

The plan

As regular travellers will know, St Pancras suffers from a severe lack of space in the international departures area. It means that the security area for passport checks is cramped and the waiting area crowded with too few seats - especially as ticket holders are routinely told to be there one hour before departure to deal with post-Brexit passport checks.

In 2025, Eurostar and St Pancras announced plans to "increase the station's capacity", adding that this would involve "reimagining" the station.

The station is a Grade I listed building, meaning that changes are subject to strict planning controls.

So what's happening?

The 2025 announcement was the start of a potentially long process, with architects Hawkins\Brown appointed to carry out a detailed design and feasibility study.

However, Eurostar and the station have now laid out a more detailed timetable, telling the Brussels Times that: "Phase one, from 2025 to 2028, aims to boost capacity from 2,000 to 2,700 passengers an hour.

"Phase two, expected to be completed by 2028, will improve the international terminal area and passenger flows.

"Lastly, phase three will explore further growth by moving arrivals to the upper floor in the 2030s."

And what does that mean for the passenger experience?

It seems that things might be getting worse before they get better, since the increase in passenger numbers is scheduled to happen before any changes to increase the size or passenger flow of the waiting area and security zone.

There's also the additional problem of EES - Eurostar is still not completing EES checks on all passengers departing from London, because French authorities have not yet given the go-ahead.

Only a small minority of passengers are currently completing EES pre-registration in London - the full rollout is expected to happen in the autumn, once the summer peak has passed - although the start date is decided by the French Interior Ministry.

READ ALSO: UK-France travel: The latest on EES at Eurostar, Eurotunnel and Dover

These new EU biometric passport checks have been causing some delays in ports and airports across Europe - although St Pancras does have a dedicated area for pre-registration, not currently operational, away from the current security checks area.