It wouldn't surprise me that the real reason for their financial problems, rather than Covid, were to be mismanagement or even someone fiddling the books.

In any case, what is it to do with RMT (other than they're a left-wing union after all the money they can get)? Eurostar isn't British; it's owned by the Frogs. Let them sort it out. They've had 40 years of leeching off of us. We're out of it now.

I've heard from a pretty reliable source though not one that is copper bound that the parent company, SNCF, has transferred funding to a purely French satellite of the holding company from Eurostar in the expectation that GB will pump funds into Eurostar thus in effect refinancing Eurostar at our cost.

I've heard from a pretty reliable source though not one that is copper bound that the parent company, SNCF, has transferred funding to a purely French satellite of the holding company from Eurostar in the expectation that GB will pump funds into Eurostar thus in effect refinancing Eurostar at our cost.

https://www.reuters.com/business/fin...ph-2021-04-17/

Channel tunnel operator Eurostar has struck a deal with its lenders to refinance hundreds of millions of pounds of debts, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday, paving the way for talks to restart about financial support from British taxpayers.

A group of banks, including state-backed NatWest, have agreed to refinance 400 million pounds ($553 million) of loans that were due to be repaid this summer, according to the paper.

Hmm...

Unsafe and unprofessional during the pandemic.

Used to be great!

Before the pandemic I would have given five stars! In the last year:

- March 2020 booked business class and it cost £200 extra to switch my ticket. No business class services were provided onboard, other than small bottles of water being handed out
- October 2020 train was crowded, with social distancing impossible. I paid £75 to upgrade to business class, for safety, but in business class everyone was without their masks as they were eating the provided meal
- January 2021 social distancing was impossible at the St Pancras paperwork check, with a Eurostar employee actively encouraging people to bunch up
- They advertise that all bookings are flexible but, unlike flexible flights, they must be rescheduled the week before travel, rather than the usual 24 hours.

The only reason I have continued to use Eurostar is that it is more environmentally friendly than flying.

I assume that this is in effect a loan and must be repaid eventually. I certainly hope so - if the Frogs can be trusted!

The Telegraph's City commentator, Ben Marlow,
maintained that Eurostar's main shareholders in France should bail out the company, but also said Prime Minister Boris Johnson can help. He said nothing explains "why the UK taxpayer should have to ride to the rescue of a company that is majority-owned by the French state”.

A full-blooded bailout is out of the question. The Cameron Government sold out of Eurostar before the 2015 general election as it sought to balance the books.

"But given it is Government policy that is causing the financial pain, ministers have a duty to ease the burden. Business rates relief and cheaper track fares would help. Or there is the option of loan guarantees.

After all, the French couldn’t wait to impose a UK travel ban when the first of several new virus variants emerged."