Strong First Quarter for Eurostar

Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train operator between Britain and mainland Europe, has reported a 21.3% rise in traveller numbers to 2.17 million between January and March 2008, compared with the same period last year.

Ticket revenues increased by 25.2% to £178.4 million during the first full three-month period of carbon neutral journeys on High Speed 1, the new 186mph line between St Pancras International and the Channel Tunnel.

The record traveller numbers and revenues follow Eurostar’s highly successful, overnight move of services to St Pancras International and High Speed 1 last November. Factors driving up demand include faster journey times, more connections to towns and cities across Britain, and improved punctuality. An early Easter, the leap year and Six Nations rugby tournament also gave an extra boost to the traveller and revenue figures.

Operating with new stations, a new railway and new depot, Eurostar achieved record punctuality of 93.6% of trains on time or within 15 minutes of schedule during the first quarter, even higher than the figure for 2007.

From the regions, the number of travellers using Eurostar for high-speed journeys to mainland Europe has increased substantially since the introduction last November of low-cost through fares from 68 towns and cities across Britain.

In the first three months of services on HS1, the number of travellers from the East Midlands and Yorkshire more than doubled, compared with a year earlier. Demand from counties north of London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Scotland all increased significantly.

Richard Brown, chief executive, Eurostar, said, “We are delighted at the public’s ever growing desire to travel by Eurostar. It shows that High Speed 1 and our fabulous new stations are capturing people’s imagination, combined with the fast, reliable and green advantages of our high-speed trains.”

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