Editing Eurostar (section)

=== 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>