Eurostar news – Page 2
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NewsMerged Eurostar and Thalys branding revealed
EUROPE: The branding for the merged Eurostar and Thalys high speed rail businesses was unveiled in Brussels on January 24.
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NewsEurostar cannot grow amid pandemic, Brexit and cost crises, CEO warns
EUROPE: Problems faced by Eurostar as a result of the pandemic, Brexit and rising costs have been set out in detail in a letter from outgoing CEO Jacques Damas to the Chair of the UK’s House of Commons Transport Select Committee. Chair Huw Merriman MP had ...
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NewsEurostar confirms end of Disneyland service
EUROPE: Eurostar has confirmed that it will not be running the direct service between London and Marne-la-Vallée, the station for Disneyland Paris, from June 5 2023. The operator said ’whilst we continue to recover financially from the pandemic, and monitor developments in the proposed EU Entry/Exit ...
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Rail Business UKNo Eurostar services to Ashford or Ebbsfleet in 2023
UK: Eurostar services will not stop at Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations during 2023, and the cross-Channel high speed train operator told Rail Business UK ‘we cannot make any commitment for another two to three years’.
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NewsEurostar Group names next CEO and targets 30 million passengers within 10 years
EUROPE: Gwendoline Cazenave has been appointed as CEO of Eurostar Group with effect from October 1. She will succeed Jacques Damas, who has been CEO of Eurostar since October 2020 and CEO of Eurostar Group since it was formed as the holding company for Eurostar and ...
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NewsEurostar Group formed as holding company for Eurostar and Thalys
EUROPE: Eurostar Group has been established as the holding company for international high speed train operators Eurostar and Thalys, and the shareholders have announced their ambition for the combined services to carry 30 million passengers/year within 10 years, compared to 18 million in 2019. ...
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NewsMerger approval ‘should ensure the rebound and growth ambitions of Thalys and Eurostar’, says SNCF
EUROPE: The European Commission has approved the planned merger of cross-border high speed train operators Thalys and Eurostar. SNCF Voyageurs told Railway Gazette International the merger ‘should ensure the rebound and growth ambitions of Thalys and Eurostar.’ Announcing its decision on March 29, the Commission said ...
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NewsEurostar biometric trial goes live
EUROPE: Eurostar has begun live trials of the SmartCheck biometric face authentication system, enabling passengers boarding at London St Pancras International to complete secure ticket verification and UK exit checks on their mobile devices before travel.
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NewsEurostar brand to remain after Thalys merger
EUROPE: European high speed operators Eurostar and Thalys confirmed on October 4 that their planned merger announced in September 2019 is on course to be completed ‘within two to three years’, with a formal submission to the European Commission’s competition authority expected in 2022. Being taken ...
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NewsEurostar to increase services and complete Thalys merger as £250m refinancing agreement secured
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has announced a £250m refinancing agreement with its shareholders and banks, which it said would enable it to continue to operate services and meet its short to mid-term financial obligations. The refinancing package announced on May 18 comprises £50m ...
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NewsCall for Eurostar trains to be made available to support on-rail competition
EUROPE: The ALLRAIL association of new entrants to the rail market has said any government support which might be offered to Eurostar during the coronavirus pandemic should be accompanied by conditions designed to facilitate cross-Channel competition.
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Rail Business UKEurostar to make cash refund option clearer
UK: International high speed train operator Eurostar has agreed to make it clearer that passengers have a right to cash refunds for cancelled services, following an intervention by the Office of Rail & Road. ORR said Eurostar’s service cancellation e-mails to passengers had provided prominent information about ...
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NewsSNCF veteran Damas to lead Eurostar as restructuring looms
EUROPE: On September 4 the management board of Voyages SNCF announced the selection of Jacques Damas to succeed Mike Cooper as Chief Executive of Eurostar, in which the French national operator holds a 55% majority stake. Damas is an SNCF veteran whose career with the state railway ...
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NewsEurostar Chief Executive Mike Cooper to lead Arriva
EUROPE: Eurostar Chief Executive Mike Cooper has been appointed as the next Arriva Group CEO with effect from early October, succeeding Dr Manfred Rudhart who is stepping down after almost five years. Cooper’s previous roles have included Managing Director of the direct sales business of the Thomson ...
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NewsLighting improved at high speed train depot
UK: Two maintenance tracks at Eurostar’s high speed train depot in east London have been equipped with LED lighting supplied by J Brand Ltd. This has replaced fluorescent lighting, providing a better a quality of light to help improve working conditions and staff safety. ‘The benefits will ...
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NewsEurostar looks to cut costs with reduced hours and part-time working
EUROPE: Eurostar is looking to reduce its payroll costs through the introduction of reduced hours and more part-time working ‘wherever possible throughout 2021’, in a move which the cross-Channel high speed operator said was intended to protect jobs at a time when ‘the impact of Covid-19 has ...
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NewsAgreements signed to allow direct Amsterdam – London trains
EUROPE: Eurostar is set to launch direct services between Amsterdam and London later this year, following the signing on July 7 of four-country agreements covering the legal and security arrangements. A date for the start of through services has not yet been finalised, the high speed train ...
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NewsEurostar to test facial biometrics for ‘walk-through’ check-in
EUROPE: A walk-through facial biometric verification system is to be tested which would enable Eurostar passengers to complete ticket checks and border exit processes at London’s St Pancras International station without contact with people or hardware. Passengers opting the use the accelerated pre-boarding option would use ...
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NewsDirect London – Bordeaux trains could start in 2022, suggests SNCF
A direct London – Bordeaux service could be launched in 2022, President of SNCF International Diego Diaz suggested when commemorative boards were unveiled at London’s St Pancras station to mark a twinning agreement with Bordeaux Saint-Jean.
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NewsEurostar confirms start date for Amsterdam – London through services
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has announced the start dates for through services between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and London. This follows an agreement between the governments of the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands enabling the operation of juxtaposed border controls at the Dutch departure stations, ...