5,000 signatures reached
To: Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport
Save Eurostar
RMT is calling on the Secretary of State for Transport to urgently agree assistance for Eurostar, which, like other transport operators, has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak, but which has not yet received any support from the UK Government.
Why is this important?
Like other rail companies and transport operators, Eurostar has been significantly impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with passenger numbers and revenue at a fraction of pre-Covid levels.
The Eurostar provides a vital, low carbon, link between the UK and mainland Europe, and will be essential to the UK’s green economic recovery from Covid-19. Eurostar is a UK-registered company with its head office in London and the company supports over 3000 UK jobs. It would be disastrous, economically and environmentally, if the service were not protected.
Eurostar is part owned by the French state owned operator SNCF, and it has received over £200m in support from shareholders during the pandemic. However, given that it is likely to be some time before passenger numbers return to pre-Covid levels, it needs further assistance to ensure it can survive during the pandemic.
Unlike other transport operators, including airlines, Eurostar has not yet received any Covid-19 state support from the UK Government.
RMT is calling on the UK Government to urgently agree to work with Eurostar and engage in coordinated action to protect the collapse of this vital transport link and ensure that thousands of UK jobs are protected.