A new holding company called Eurostar Group has been established through the merger of railway firms Eurostar International and THI Factory (Thalys), creating the largest international high-speed network in Western Europe.
Headquartered in Brussels, Eurostar Group will promote sustainable high-speed rail in Europe.
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Eurostar Group has a 100% stake in Eurostar International and Thalys, based in London and Brussels, respectively.
Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) owns a 55.75% stake in the new entity, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) holds a 19.31% interest while Belgium national railway company SNCB owns an 18.5% interest.
Funds managed by Federated Hermes Infrastructure have a 6.44% holding in the entity.
Eurostar International’s existing CEO Jacques Damas will lead the new company in the same role.
By accelerating the development of European rail transport, the Eurostar and Thalys combination is anticipated to meet the increasing demand for sustainable mobility.
Launched in September 2019, the Green Speed alliance project was shelved as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The project secured clearance from the European Commission in March this year, after its relaunch in autumn last year.
Besides, the entity aims to carry 30 million passengers per annum in ten years compared with 18 million customers in 2019.
The alliance is also expected to speed up the recovery of Eurostar and Thalys, which were affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
