Eurostar, in which the French rail company SNCF is a major stakeholder, is the only operator on the high-speed link between London and Paris and Brussels. But Air France has been talking to German train operator Deutsche Bahn about the possibility of starting a rival rail service. From January 1, 2010, the liberalisation of rail passenger services in the European Union comes into effect. The track on which this service runs in the UK will be used for high-speed domestic services later this year.