EUROSTAR DELIVERS STRONG HALF YEAR RESULTS
Date: Wednesday 16 July 2008
–Ticket sales up 25%, traveller numbers up 18% in first half of 2008
–Demand from UK regions and rising cost of flying help to drive high-speed rail growth
Eurostar, the high-speed train operator between the UK and mainland Europe, today announced surging demand during the first six months of 2008. Growth in traveller numbers was greatest in towns and cities to the north of London, which now enjoy easy access to Eurostar’s new London station, St Pancras International, and its 186mph cross-Channel services on High Speed 1, the UK’s first high-speed line.
Ticket sales between January and June 2008 totalled £368.8 million – an increase of 24.7% against the same period in 2007. Traveller numbers reached 4.63 million – an 18.3% year-on-year increase.
Growing numbers of travellers are choosing Eurostar for carbon neutral journeys to the Continent, with high-speed rail fares unaffected by the rising oil prices that have forced airlines to raise ticket prices on both short-haul and long-haul flights.
The introduction of good value through fares to the Continent from over 130 British towns and cities has been a key factor driving demand in the UK regions. Eurostar and nine UK train operators now sell fares (starting from between £67 and £92 return) for travel to Paris, Brussels and Disneyland Resort Paris. UK travellers can also buy through fares to other destinations across Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
Cities seeing the strongest growth in Eurostar travellers include:
Derby – up 190% (through fares from £79 return to Paris/Brussels)
Nottingham – up 131% (from £79 return to Paris/Brussels)
Sheffield – up 128% (from £79 return to Paris/Brussels)
York - up 127% (from £79 return to Paris/Brussels)
Leicester – up 113% (from £77 return to Paris/Brussels)
Newcastle – up 107% (from £82 return to Paris/Brussels)
Leeds – up 99% (from £79 return to Paris/Brussels)
Birmingham – up 70% (from £77 return to Paris/Brussels)
Milton Keynes – up 68% (from £77 return to Paris/Brussels)
Glasgow – up 54% (from £89 return to Paris/Brussels)
Manchester – up 52% (from £84 return to Paris/Brussels)
Edinburgh – up 49% (from £89 return to Paris/Brussels)
Percentage increase in travellers using Eurostar Jan.-June 2008 vs. Jan.-June 2007. Other towns/cities and counties available on request.
From 8 September 2008, Eurostar is increasing its timetable to meet growing traveller demand by adding an 18th daily service in each direction on the London-Paris route. The extra service will provide a half-hourly service during the morning and evening peaks and close to an hourly service throughout the rest of the day.
Eurostar maintained its strong punctuality levels in the first six months of 2008 with 92.6% of its trains arriving on time or early. This compares with an average of 62.3% between January and April 2008 (the latest available figure) for the airlines competing on its routes between London and Paris/Brussels.
Demand at Eurostar’s new station at Ebbsfleet International in north Kent, just off junction 2 of the M25 and close to Bluewater shopping centre, is fully meeting expectations. Eurostar is a founding patron of the competition to build the Ebbsfleet Landmark, part of the campaign to put the station and future Ebbsfleet Valley development firmly on the map.
Traveller numbers at Ashford International also continue in line with expectations following the opening of High Speed 1.
Richard Brown, Chief Executive, Eurostar, said: “This impressive growth in traveller numbers clearly demonstrates that Eurostar’s move to St Pancras International has opened up high-speed rail services to millions more people across the UK.
“The impact of rising oil prices on air fares, combined with growing awareness of the much greater environmental impact of flying, are causing more and more travellers to switch from plane to train.
“However, whilst we expect traveller numbers and ticket revenues to continue to rise, it is clear that the wider economic environment is deteriorating and we expect that the rate of growth will slow in the second half of the year.” For more travel news see http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/DArwin.htm
