Eurostar is reporting record revenues in the first three months of the year, as business travellers swelled passenger numbers. Eurostar also recorded one of its best ever periods of punctuality.

Expected sales were up 7% on the same period last year, reaching £125 million. A total of 1.7 million travellers used Eurostar during the first quarter, with sales of business tickets growing by 12%.

Punctuality reached 92%, up from 83% for the first quarter last year. A combination of a robust fleet servicing and maintenance programme, good operational performance and strong performance by infrastructure providers, Network Rail and Eurotunnel, ensured Eurostar achieved such good results.

Over 70 million people have now travelled on Eurostar since its first service in November 1994.
 
Richard Brown, Chief Executive of Eurostar, commented: “We’re continuing to win travellers from our competitor airlines, as strong punctuality and superior service make Eurostar the carrier of choice.”

Eurostar expects a strong performance in the second quarter, boosted by the late Easter holiday, the tourism effect from the global release of “The Da Vinci Code” movie in May and the FIFA World Cup in Germany in June 2006.  Eurostar is a global partner of the movie.
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