Little known 'prison cell' on all Eurostar trains
Every Eurostar train has a space for someone to be handcuffed to their seat, according to an industry insider.
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A London-based manager for the service said that if French or British police were moving criminals or people under arrest from one country to another, Eurostar had to be ready to accommodate them.
The individual told his Twitter followers: "Here’s a little known Eurostar fact for you all, we’re required to provide space for the national authorities to move someone under arrest on our services, thus each of our trains has a private space with these points to attach handcuffs".
He added that he had to sit in the seat for a prisoner when he was travelling to Paris as a passenger the previous day, because the train was full.
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He said that he had only seen it used once for its intended purpose of one of the trains he was managing - when a suspect was being extradited from France to the UK.
The current version of the handcuff space is minimalist, and could be mistaken for a cupholder.
He also shared a picture of an older version, which looks more menacing.
Some people saw the funny side. One person joked: "I'm assuming an at seat service of drinks and light refreshments is not served?"
"Only things that can be opened with one hand," he replied.
Another said: "On the South side of the tunnel it's the baguette holder, on the north side it's for the umbrella".
A third person quipped: "I'm travelling with my son in August. He's a bit of a fidget. Can these facilities be booked in advance."
But it's unlikely you'll be sitting in the space on your next trip across the Channel. The handcuff seat is not given to normal passengers "unless absolutely necessary".
He added that the space is usually used by Eurostar and border authorities staff.
Asked if there were special procedures to remove the handcuffs in the case of an emergency, he said yes - but that he couldn't reveal the answer publicly.