Record passenger numbers for Eurostar

Eurostar has announced that it carried a record number of passengers in the third quarter of 2007.

Cross-channel rail service Eurostar set a new quarterly record for passenger numbers this year, with some 2.23 million people using its trains between July and September.

This is an increase of 3.6 per cent on the corresponding period of last year.

Revenue from ticket sales reached £148.5 million in the third quarter of the year, an annual increase of 13.8 per cent that was driven by rising business passenger numbers and demand from people travelling to the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Eurostar estimates that some 125,000 passengers were carried to the rugby tournament, 13,000 of whom made use of additional services that were laid on to meet the heightened demand generated by the event.

Some 91.1 per cent of Eurostar trains arrived at their destination on time or early in the third quarter of 2007, a statistic which is thought to have influenced many business travellers in switching from plane to train travel on their trips to the continent.

Chief executive Richard Brown said: "These are very strong results.

"Eurostar's continued growth in traveller numbers - especially in the crucial business sector - shows that growing environmental concern and a desire for a hassle-free travel experience are persuading more people to choose Eurostar rather than the airlines."

On November 14th Eurostar will move its London operations from Waterloo International station to St Pancras International, offering a quicker connection to Europe.