BRUSSELS – The Eurostar high speed train service, which operates services out of London to Brussels and Paris, carried a record 7.27 million passengers in 2004.

At a press conference on Wednesday the company said that a record 250,000 Christmas travellers helped make last year Eurostar’s busiest ever, with passenger numbers 15 percent higher than in 2003.

Eurostar also said the punctuality of its services improved in 2005, with 89.2 percent of its trains arriving on time.

The new figure represents a 10.9 percent improvement on its 2003 punctuality record.

And to complete the good news for the high-speed train operator, the company’s sales rose 15 percent last year to just over EUR 614 million.

Eurostar director of communications Paul Charles said the 2004 results showed that travellers appreciated the quality of the company’s services.

“Eurostar has set new, higher standards for short-haul carriers over the last year. These record figures prove that business and leisure travellers have recognised the transformation in our service,” Charles said.

“We are not seeing customers downgrade or switch to low-cost airlines – they are choosing to travel in high speed comfort and style by train,” he added.

Eurostar services operate at present out of London’s Waterloo station.

But in 2007 the company is scheduled to move to the new St Pancras international station, which is currently being built.

When the St Pancras station and a final section high-speed railway line leading to it from the Channel Tunnel are completed, Eurostar journey times should be 15 minutes shorter.

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news