Eurostar continues to struggle for survival following COVID-19 slump

Friday, November 27, 2020

High-speed railway service Eurostar that links St Pancras International, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Disneyland Resort Paris, Rotterdam and Amsterdam has criticised a new government support scheme for airports in the U.K., arguing that rail operators have been unfairly excluded. The support that has been designed to shore up jobs and reinforce local economies will be available to commercial airports from early next year.

It will address fixed costs and be equivalent to the business rates liabilities of each business, capped at up to £8 million per site, and subject to certain conditions. However, a Eurostar spokesperson recently explained that the new scheme of rates relief for airports puts Eurostar at a direct disadvantage against its airline competitors.

The spokesperson mentioned that Eurostar has been left fighting for its survival against a 95 per cent drop in demand, whilst aviation has received over £1.8 billion in support through loans, tax deferrals and financing. Eurostar urged that the scheme should be extended to include international rail services, and more generally for the government to incorporate high-speed rail in its support for the travel sector, and also help to protect the green gateway to Europe in the process.

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