EUROPE: On June 17 the European Commission cleared the transformation of Eurostar from a co-operative arrangement between SNCF, SNCB and London & Continental Railways into a stand-alone joint venture controlled by SNCF and LCR with SNCB holding a non-controlling stake.
Approval was subject to conditions which are intended to lower the bar to the launch of competing services. These include granting competitors access to stations, information systems and light maintenance services. A number of train paths will be released to competitors unable to obtain them through normal allocation procedures.
