Eurostar bailout: France prepared to help struggling train operator, says transport minister

Eurostar bailout: France prepared to help struggling train operator, says transport minister

The French government is prepared to help train operator Eurostar, transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on Thursday.The firm, whose services connect France and the UK, but also run to Belgium and the Netherlands, has been left in dire financial straits due to Brexit and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel."The state will be present alongside Eurostar in order to maintain this strategic link between our two countries," Djebbari announced at a parliamentary hearing."We are in the process of working with the British on aid mechanisms for Eurostar proportionate to the involvement of each party, so as to ensure the financial sustainability of the company's business model," he added.Djebbari said that he and his British counterpart, Grant Shapps, had been discussing the matter "for many weeks".The UK's Department for Transport told Euronews there was currently no agreement in place but added it continued to discuss Eurostar's financial situation with the French government.Eurostar has warned it faces bankruptcy at the end of spring if the British and French governments did not come to its rescue.Jean-Pierre Farandou, the CEO of SNCF, France's state railway company, which owns 55% of Eurostar, told France Inter radio on Tuesday that “the situation is very