Editing Eurostar (section)

==History==
{{About|the history of the Eurostar brand|the history of the former Thalys brand|Thalys#History|section=yes}}

===Conception and planning===
{{Main |Channel Tunnel |Getlink |TransManche Link}}The history of the Eurostar brand can be traced to the choice in 1986 of a rail tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Noulton |first=John |date=February 2001 |title=The Channel Tunnel |url=http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr26/pdf/f38_nou.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Japan Railway & Transport Review |issue=26 |pages=38–45 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410230451/http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr26/pdf/f38_nou.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2009 |access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> A previous attempt to construct a tunnel between the two nations had begun in 1974, but was quickly aborted. Construction began afresh in 1988. [[Getlink|Eurotunnel]] was created to manage and own the tunnel, which was finished in 1993, the official opening taking place on 6 May 1994.<ref name="BBC openingceremony" />

In addition to the tunnel's [[Eurotunnel Shuttle|shuttle trains]] carrying cars and lorries between [[Folkestone]] and [[Calais]], the tunnel opened up the possibility of through passenger and freight train services between places further afield.<ref name="EuroTun His">{{Cite web |title=Our history |url=http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcTunnelInfrastructure/ukcDevelopment/ukpHistory |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123153410/http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcTunnelInfrastructure/ukcDevelopment/ukpHistory |archive-date=23 November 2010 |access-date=10 May 2009 |publisher=Eurotunnel}}</ref> [[British Rail]] and France's [[SNCF]] contracted with Eurotunnel to use half the tunnel's capacity for this purpose. In 1987, Britain, France and Belgium set up an International Project Group to specify a train to provide an international high-speed passenger service through the tunnel. France had been operating high-speed TGV services since 1981, and had begun construction of a new high-speed line between Paris and the Channel Tunnel, LGV Nord; French TGV technology was chosen as the basis for the new trains. An order for 30 trainsets, to be manufactured in France but with some British and Belgian components, was placed in December 1989.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} On 20 June 1993, the first Eurostar test train travelled through the tunnel to the UK.<ref name="Eurost His" /> Various technical difficulties in running the new trains on British tracks were quickly overcome.<ref name="Eurobreakdown">{{cite news |last=Wolmar |first=Christian |author-link=Christian Wolmar |date=21 October 1994 |title=Channel train opens with a breakdown |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/channel-train-opens-with-a-breakdown-1444085.html |url-status=dead |access-date=10 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109230236/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/channel-train-opens-with-a-breakdown-1444085.html |archive-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>

===Launch of service===
[[File:Eurostar.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|The original Eurostar logo used from 1994 until 2011]]

On 14 November 1994, Eurostar services began running from [[Waterloo International railway station|Waterloo International]] station in London, to [[Gare du Nord|Paris Nord]], as well as [[Brussels-South railway station]].<ref name="EuroTun His" /><ref name="waterloovid">{{Cite web |date=20 December 2007 |title=Official Waterloo 'Goodbye' video, useful statistics and numbers shown |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whnt8cYaNng&feature=channel | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Whnt8cYaNng| archive-date=11 December 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2010 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Watlooguardi">{{Cite news |date=13 November 2007 |title=Waterloo International: 1994–2007 |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2007/nov/13/railtravel?picture=331254132 |access-date=18 November 2007 |archive-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731152302/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2007/nov/13/railtravel?picture=331254132 |url-status=live }}</ref> The train service started with a limited ''Discovery'' service; the full daily service started from 28 May 1995.<ref name="Rail Chronology: Eurostar services">{{Cite web |title=Rail Chronology: Eurostar services |url=http://www.railchronology.free-online.co.uk/Eurostar.htm |website=railchronology.free-online.co.uk |access-date=5 December 2017 |archive-date=22 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622140307/http://www.railchronology.free-online.co.uk/Eurostar.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1995, Eurostar was achieving an average end-to-end speed of {{convert|171.5|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} from London to Paris.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Takagi |first=Ryo |date=March 2005 |title=High-speed Railways:The last ten years |url=http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr40/pdf/f04_tak.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Japan Railway & Transport Review |issue=40 |pages=4–7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620081824/http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr40/pdf/f04_tak.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2009 |access-date=1 May 2009}}</ref>
On 8 January 1996, Eurostar launched services from a second railway station in the UK when [[Ashford International railway station|Ashford International]] was opened.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/about_eurostar/press_release/press_archive_2006/09_01_06_Eurostar_celebrates_10_years.jsp |title= Eurostar celebrates 10 years at Ashford International |publisher= Eurostar |date= 9 January 2006 |access-date= 25 April 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120522090109/http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/about_eurostar/press_release/press_archive_2006/09_01_06_Eurostar_celebrates_10_years.jsp |archive-date= 22 May 2012 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

Also in 1996, Eurostar commenced its year-round service from London to Disneyland with the first train running on 29 June. The following year saw the introduction of services to the French Alps during the winter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=14 November 2014 |title=Eurostar at 20: how has the service grown? |url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/nov/14/eurostar-at-20-how-has-the-service-grown |access-date=29 August 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527004730/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/nov/14/eurostar-at-20-how-has-the-service-grown |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 20 July 2002 a summer seasonal service from London to [[Avignon-Centre station|Avignon-Centre]] was launched. The service ran until 2014 after which it was replaced on 1 May 2015 by an expanded service calling at [[Avignon TGV station|Avignon TGV]] and also serving [[Lyon]] and [[Marseille]].<ref name=":0" />

On 23 September 2003, passenger services began running on the first completed section of [[High Speed 1]].<ref name="Eurost His" /> Following a high-profile glamorous opening ceremony<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Carmichael |first1=Sri |last2=Low, Valentine |date=7 November 2007 |title=The royal pride of reborn St Pancras |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/the-royal-pride-of-reborn-st-pancras-6680267.html |access-date=24 May 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524121247/https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/the-royal-pride-of-reborn-st-pancras-6680267.html |archive-date=24 May 2023}}</ref> and a large advertising campaign,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |date=14 July 2007 |title=Eurostar launches St Pancras ads |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/nov/14/advertising1 |access-date=24 May 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527133050/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/nov/14/advertising1 |archive-date=27 May 2022}}</ref> on 14 November 2007, Eurostar services in London transferred from Waterloo to the extended and extensively refurbished [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras International]].<ref name="transpancras" />

Direct services from London to Amsterdam (returning to Brussels only) were launched on 4 April 2018. This service was made a return service on 26 October 2020.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/24/coronavirus-eurostar-says-london-to-amsterdam-direct-is-back-on-track|title=Eurostar to launch direct Amsterdam to London route in October|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 August 2020|accessdate=1 July 2023|archive-date=17 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117190905/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/24/coronavirus-eurostar-says-london-to-amsterdam-direct-is-back-on-track|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
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===Records achieved===
The Channel Tunnel used by Eurostar services holds the record for having the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world,<ref name="Daily Post 2006">{{Cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Jane |date=1 December 2006 |title='Chunnel' workers link France and Britain |work=The Daily Post |publisher=APN New Zealand |location=Rotorua, New Zealand}}</ref> and it is the third-longest railway tunnel (behind the [[Seikan Tunnel]] and the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]]) in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Minus |first=Jodie |date=26 January 2007 |title=Eurostar an underground force |work=The Australian |location=Sydney |url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,21153042-5013280,00.html |access-date=27 May 2009 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110000807/https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 30 July 2003, a Eurostar train set a new British [[List of vehicle speed records|speed record]] of {{convert|334.7|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} on the first section of the "High Speed 1" railway between the Channel Tunnel,<ref name="Eurost His" /><ref name="waterloovid" /> and Fawkham Junction in north Kent, two months before official public services began running.

On 16 May 2006, Eurostar set a new record for the longest non-stop high-speed journey, a distance of {{convert|1421|km|mi|abbr=in}} from London to [[Cannes]] taking 7{{nbsp}}hours 25{{nbsp}}minutes.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Eurostar sets new Guinness World Record with cast and filmmakers of Columbia Pictures' The Da Vinci Code |date=17 June 2006 |publisher=Eurostar |url=https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/about-eurostar/press-office/press-releases/2006/eurostar-sets-new-guinness-world-record-with-cast |access-date=27 May 2009 |archive-date=22 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822174445/https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/about-eurostar/press-office/press-releases/2006/eurostar-sets-new-guinness-world-record-with-cast |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 4 September 2007, a record-breaking train left Paris Nord at 10:44 (09:44{{nbsp}}[[British Summer Time|BST]]) and reached London St Pancras International in 2{{nbsp}}hours 3{{nbsp}}minutes 39{{nbsp}}seconds,<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.eriksrailnews.com/archive/eurostar_ctrl_pr.html |access-date=12 April 2007 |title=Eurostar breaks UK high speed record |publisher=Eurostar |date=30 July 2003 |archive-date=13 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013043541/http://eriksrailnews.com/archive/eurostar_ctrl_pr.html |url-status=live }}</ref> carrying journalists and railway workers. This record trip was also the first passenger-carrying arrival at the new London St Pancras International station.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 September 2007 |title=Eurostar sets Paris-London record |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977211.stm |access-date=14 December 2007 |archive-date=17 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117113849/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977211.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> On 20 September 2007, Eurostar broke another record when it completed the journey from Brussels to London in 1{{nbsp}}hour 43{{nbsp}}minutes.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Michael |date=21 September 2007 |title=Eurostar puts Brussels within the 'two-hour club' after record rail journey |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/eurostar-puts-brussels-within-the-twohour-club-after-record-rail-journey-403044.html |access-date=27 August 2017 |archive-date=19 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619022350/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/eurostar-puts-brussels-within-the-twohour-club-after-record-rail-journey-403044.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Regional Eurostar and Nightstar===
{{Further|Regional Eurostar |Nightstar (train)}}
[[File:Eurostars at waterloo international.jpg|thumb|A pair of [[British Rail Class 373|Eurostar trains]] at the former [[Waterloo International railway station|Waterloo International]]]]

The original proposals for Eurostar included direct services to Paris and Brussels from cities north of London: [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester Piccadilly]] via [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham New Street]] on the [[West Coast Main Line]] and [[Leeds railway station|Leeds]] and {{rws|Glasgow Central}} via [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Edinburgh Waverley]], [[Newcastle railway station|Newcastle]] and {{rws|York}} on the [[East Coast Main Line]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=Review of regional Eurostar services: summary report |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/europe/reviewofregionaleurostarserv3325?page=10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214082434/http://dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/europe/reviewofregionaleurostarserv3325?page=10 |archive-date=14 December 2010 |publisher=[[Department for Transport]]}}</ref>

Seven 14-coach "North of London" Eurostar trains for these [[Regional Eurostar]] services were built, but these services never came to fruition. Predicted journey times of almost nine hours for Glasgow to Paris at the time of growth of low-cost air travel during the 1990s made the plans commercially unviable against the cheaper and quicker airlines.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 April 1999 |title=Eurostar extension in doubt |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/330888.stm |access-date=31 December 2007 |archive-date=25 September 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030925102628/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/330888.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Other reasons that have been suggested for these services having never been run were both government policies and the disruptive [[privatisation of British Rail]].<ref name="regionfail">{{Cite journal |last1=Knowles |first1=Richard |last2=Farrington |first2=John |date=December 1998 |title=Why Has the Market Not Been Created for Channel Tunnel Regional Passenger Rail Services? |journal=Area |publisher=Royal Geographical Society |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=359–366 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4762.1998.tb00080.x |jstor=20003928|bibcode=1998Area...30..359K }}</ref> Three of the Regional Eurostar units were leased by [[Great North Eastern Railway]] (GNER) to increase domestic services from [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] to York and later Leeds.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 2002 |title=High-speed GNER trains scrapped |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1763438.stm |access-date=10 May 2009 |archive-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528180636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1763438.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= White Rose to run to Leeds with extra trains |magazine=[[Rail Magazine]] |issue=428 |date=6 February 2002 |page=16}}</ref> The lease expired in December 2005, and most of the North of London sets were transferred to [[SNCF]] for [[TGV]] services in northern France.<ref name="CTRLrailtec">{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), United Kingdom |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/chunnel/ |access-date=11 May 2009 |publisher=Railway-technology-com |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126030956/https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/chunnel/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= SNCF prepares to use Eurostar sets |magazine=[[Today's Railways UK]] |issue=64 |date=April 2007 |page=68}}</ref>

An international [[Nightstar (train)|Nightstar]] sleeper train was also planned; this would have travelled the same routes as Regional Eurostar, plus the [[Great Western Main Line]] to {{rws|Cardiff Central}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guerra |first=Michael |date=December 2003 |title=Second chance for Eurostar sleepers |pages=10–11 |work=Railwatch |publisher=RailFuture |issue=93 |url=http://www.railwatch.org.uk/backtrack/rw098/rw098p10.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=28 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620081753/http://www.railwatch.org.uk/backtrack/rw098/rw098p10.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2009}}</ref> These were also deemed commercially unviable, and the scheme was abandoned with no services ever operated. In 2000, the coaches were sold to [[Via Rail]] in Canada.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Middleton |first=William D. |date=August 2003 |title=Via Rail's renaissance: "Renaissance" is the name Via Rail Canada has given its new fleet of European-built passenger cars, but it applies equally well to the entire operation |work=[[Railway Age]] |location=New York |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_8_204/ai_108114496/pg_2/?tag=content;col1 |access-date=19 June 2009}}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hickling |first=Michael |date=1 November 2007 |title=Fast track to Europe – old track to Yorkshire |work=Yorkshire Post |location=Leeds |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Fast-track-to-Europe-.3439321.jp |access-date=10 May 2009 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805231331/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Fast-track-to-Europe-.3439321.jp |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Merger with Thalys ===
On 27 September 2019, the heads of two of Eurostar's major shareholders, [[Guillaume Pepy]] of SNCF, and the chair of SNCB, {{ill|vertical-align=sup|Sophie Dutordoir|fr|Sophie Dutordoir|nl|Sophie Dutordoir}}, publicised that Eurostar was planning to come together with its sister company the Franco-Belgian transnational rail service [[Thalys]].<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Green Speed: A project to combine Eurostar and Thalys has been presented to the boards of their shareholders to meet the demand for sustainable travel in Europe |date=27 September 2019 |url=https://mediacentre.eurostar.com/mc_view?language=uk-en&article_Id=ka33z0000008cpNAAQ |access-date=1 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731030934/https://mediacentre.eurostar.com/mc_view?language=uk-en&article_Id=ka33z0000008cpNAAQ |archive-date=31 July 2020 |work=Eurostar Media Centre |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=27 September 2019 |title=Eurostar-Thalys merger proposal revealed |url=https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/eurostar-thalys-merger-proposal-revealed/ |language=en |access-date=1 October 2019 |last=Briginshaw |first=David |work=International Railway Journal |publisher=Simmons-Boardman Publishing |location=Falmouth |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923153703/https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/eurostar-thalys-merger-proposal-revealed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The arrangement is to merge their operations under the working title of "''Green Speed''" and expand services outside the core London-Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam service, to create a grand Western European high-speed rail service covering the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, serving up to 30{{nbsp}}million customers by 2030.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Posaner |first=Joshua |date=27 September 2019 |title=Eurostar, Thalys merger floated to create high-speed rail giant |work=[[Politico Europe|Politico]] |publisher=[[Axel Springer SE]] |location=Brussels |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eurostar-thalys-merger-floated-to-create-high-speed-rail-giant/ |access-date=1 October 2019 |archive-date=22 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022153102/https://www.politico.eu/article/eurostar-thalys-merger-floated-to-create-high-speed-rail-giant/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":FT2023">{{Cite news |last=Wright |first=Robert |date=5 July 2023 |title=Eurostar in recovery: is there light at the end of the tunnel? |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |location=London |publisher=[[Nikkei, Inc.]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a34d2fbd-15b8-428c-9070-b953e05cb0fd |access-date=20 September 2023 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527004851/https://www.ft.com/content/a34d2fbd-15b8-428c-9070-b953e05cb0fd |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{As of|2019|post=,}} Thalys assisted Eurostar with onward connections between Amsterdam and Brussels, and to provide the Amsterdam to London service, in lieu of passport and customs checks at [[Amsterdam Centraal station]].

In September 2020, the merger between Thalys and Eurostar International was confirmed,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/09/16/eurostar-and-thalys-to-merge-in-2021/|title=Eurostar and Thalys to merge in 2021|last=McWhriter|first=Alex|work=Business Traveller|location=London|date=16 September 2020|access-date=10 October 2020|archive-date=4 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004054803/https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/09/16/eurostar-and-thalys-to-merge-in-2021/|url-status=live}}</ref> a year after Thalys announced its intention to merge with the cross-Channel provider subject to gaining [[European Commission]] clearance, to form "Green Speed". SNCF and SNCB already hold a controlling shareholding in Eurostar. In October 2021, it was announced that, following the completion of the merger, the Thalys brand would be discontinued, with all of the new operation's services to be operated under the Eurostar name but with each service's own liveries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/eurostar-brand-to-remain-after-thalys-merger/60033.article|title=Eurostar brand to remain after Thalys merger|magazine=Railway Gazette International|location=London|publisher=[[DVV Media Group]]|date=5 October 2021|access-date=5 October 2021|archive-date=4 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004200159/https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/eurostar-brand-to-remain-after-thalys-merger/60033.article|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2023, the Eurostar brand replaced [[Thalys]], operating as one network and combining ticket sales in a single system.<ref name="Eurostar About Us">{{Cite press release |title=Eurostar and Thalys have become one |url=https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/about-eurostar/eurostar-thalys-join-forces |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031111003/https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/about-eurostar/eurostar-thalys-join-forces |archive-date=31 October 2023 |access-date=3 October 2023 |publisher=Eurostar International |location=London }}</ref>

===Corporate structure===
{{Main |Eurostar International Limited}}
Eurostar was originally operated as a collaboration of three separate French, British and Belgian corporate entities. On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as a single corporate entity, [[Eurostar International Limited]] (EIL), replacing the joint operation between EUKL, SNCF and SNCB/NMBS.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 August 2009 |title=Eurostar confirms plans for senior management changes |work=Breaking Travel News |url=http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/eurostar-confirms-plans-for-senior-management-changes/ |access-date=7 January 2010 |archive-date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027095429/https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/eurostar-confirms-plans-for-senior-management-changes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> EIL is ultimately owned by [[SNCF]] (55%), [[Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec]] (CDPQ) (30%), [[Hermes Infrastructure]] (10%) and [[NMBS/SNCB|SNCB]] (5%).<ref name="bbc-20150304-sale">{{Cite news |date=4 March 2015 |title=UK government sells Eurostar stake for £757.1m |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31721334 |access-date=4 March 2015 |quote=Patina Rail LLP will acquire the UK Treasury's entire share … consortium is made up of two companies: Canadian-based Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and the UK's Hermes Infrastructure … will own 30% and 10% of Eurostar respectively |archive-date=16 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216104058/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31721334 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="eurostar.com">{{Cite web |title=Behind the scenes |url=http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/about-eurostar/our-company/behind-the-scenes |publisher=[[Eurostar Group]] |location=Brussels |access-date=1 November 2016 |archive-date=17 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117213413/http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/about-eurostar/our-company/behind-the-scenes |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="realestate.ipe.com">{{Cite web |title=Hermes secures Eurostar ownership for pension funds after UK sell-off |url=https://realestate.ipe.com/news/infrastructure/hermes-secures-eurostar-ownership-for-pension-funds-after-uk-sell-off/10006975.fullarticle |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103235215/https://realestate.ipe.com/news/infrastructure/hermes-secures-eurostar-ownership-for-pension-funds-after-uk-sell-off/10006975.fullarticle |archive-date=3 November 2016 |access-date=1 November 2016 |website=Realestate.jpe.com}}</ref>

=== Impact of COVID-19 ===
By January 2021, Eurostar ridership went down to less than 1% of pre-pandemic levels.<ref name="travelleisure2">{{cite news |last=Rizzo |first=Cailey |date=19 January 2021 |title=Eurostar Rail Service Facing Financial Woes Due to COVID-19 |magazine=Travel + Leisure |publisher=Dotdash Meredith |location=London |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/bus-train/eurostar-railway-requests-government-funding-pandemic-ridership |access-date=19 January 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126094617/https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/bus-train/eurostar-railway-requests-government-funding-pandemic-ridership |url-status=live }}</ref> The combined financial troubles and lack of ridership caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Europe|COVID-19 pandemic]] led to Eurostar seeking governmental assistance from [[HM Treasury|Britain's Treasury]] and [[Department for Transport]], even though Britain sold its 40% Eurostar holding in 2015.<ref name="travelleisure2" /><ref name="rficollapse2">{{cite news |date=19 January 2021 |title=Eurostar finances near collapse as Covid cuts cross-channel train traffic |publisher=[[Radio France Internationale]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |location=Paris |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/business/20210119-eurostar-finances-near-collapse-as-covid-cuts-cross-channel-train-traffic-economy |access-date=19 January 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126073817/https://www.rfi.fr/en/business/20210119-eurostar-finances-near-collapse-as-covid-cuts-cross-channel-train-traffic-economy |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bloomberglobby2">{{cite news |last=Jasper |first=Christopher |date=17 January 2021 |title=Eurostar Survival Concern Grows as U.K. Firms Lobby for Rescue |agency=[[Bloomberg News]] |location=London |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-17/eurostar-survival-concern-grows-as-u-k-firms-lobby-for-rescue |access-date=19 January 2021 }}</ref> Eurostar's appeal included granting the company access to [[Bank of England]]-backed loans and a temporary reduction in track access charges for use of the UK's high-speed rail line.<ref name="travelleisure2" /> Despite being majority-owned by the French state railway, [[SNCF]], Eurostar was thought to have already exhausted options for governmental assistance from Paris,<ref name="guardianwarns2">{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Zoe |date=17 January 2021 |title=Eurostar warns of 'risk to survival' without government help |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/17/eurostar-warns-of-risk-to-survival-without-government-help-covid-pandemic |access-date=19 January 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126044708/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/17/eurostar-warns-of-risk-to-survival-without-government-help-covid-pandemic |url-status=live }}</ref> but both the French transport minister and the UK Department for Transport confirmed they were working on further plans to maintain the service.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 January 2021 |title=France says Eurostar will get French and UK aid to ensure its future |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/21/eurostar-to-get-support-from-french-and-uk-governments-to-ensure-future |accessdate=21 November 2022 |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121190944/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/21/eurostar-to-get-support-from-french-and-uk-governments-to-ensure-future |url-status=live }}</ref>

By the end of 2022, Eurostar had debts of €964m, following French bailouts and commercial loans.<ref name=":FT20232">{{Cite news |last=Wright |first=Robert |date=5 July 2023 |title=Eurostar in recovery: is there light at the end of the tunnel? |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |publisher=[[Nikkei, Inc.]] |location=London |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a34d2fbd-15b8-428c-9070-b953e05cb0fd |access-date=20 September 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002161414/https://www.ft.com/content/a34d2fbd-15b8-428c-9070-b953e05cb0fd |url-status=live }}</ref> Ridership levels returned to around 8 million in 2022, however this figure was still 3 million below 2019 levels.<ref name=":FT20232" /> Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Eurostar has not served the Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International stations in the UK, or Calais Frethun in France, and has withdrawn its Disneyland Paris and Avignon services, as part of plans to focus on the most profitable routes.<ref name=":BBC 20232">{{Cite web |date=5 September 2023 |title=Eurostar: Petition for return of Kent services backed by 30,000 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxw4p4pwldxo |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=9 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909113134/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxw4p4pwldxo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":FT20232" />