Eurostar saw traveller numbers rise again in the first six months of 2006, with a strong increase in business ticket sales.
Total sales in the first half of 2006 grew by 6% to a record £259.9 million, compared to £246.1 million in the same period in 2005, with a total of 3.73 million travellers using Eurostar in the first half of 2006.

Eurostar’s seamless city-centre to city-centre journeys, combined with its unique ‘Business Premier’ onboard environment and unparalleled punctuality, continue to draw in more business travellers.  During the opening six months of the year sales of business tickets grew by 11%.

Punctuality, which is now at 91%, means Eurostar continues to outperform the airlines operating on London-Paris and London-Brussels routes by a considerable margin.

Simon Montague, Director of Communications, Eurostar, said: “Business travellers are choosing Eurostar for travel between London, Paris and Brussels because of the speed and city centre-to-city centre convenience of our trains, combined with our business-focused service on board.

Eurostar has also seen good growth in the leisure market in the first half with major sports events boosting sales. Many football fans chose to travel to the World Cup in Germany by high-speed rail using Eurostar to connect with other European operators.

Simon Montague added: “Our partnership with The Da Vinci Code, the blockbuster movie, is generating strong interest in overseas markets, with travel agents reporting increased sales on our London-Paris trains as fans of the film look to follow in the footsteps of its stars.”

In autumn 2007, Eurostar will move its London terminal from Waterloo International to St. Pancras International, with the completion of the second section of the UK’s first high-speed line.  Journey times will be even faster with Brussels just 1h 51m away from London and Paris just 2h 15m.
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