Eurostar’s move to St Pancras International has helped drive a 21% increase in passengers in 2008. Over 2.1 million people have travelled used the service in the first three months of the year, generating ticket sales of £178 million.
Eurostar switched its London terminal from Waterloo to St Pancras International last November after the High Speed 1, the new link between London and Folkestone was completed. The result is a quicker route to the continent, with journey times from St Pancras International to Paris in 2h 15 minutes, to Brussels in 1h 51 minutes and to Lille in just 1h 20 minutes.
UK regions following the high speed link have witnessed the biggest increase in passengers, with the number of travellers from the East Midlands and Yorkshire more than doubling, whilst substantial passenger increases have been evident with passengers travelling from the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Scotland. Cheaper through fares to London St Pancras International from areas outside of London have boosted passenger numbers whilst the new Ebbsfleet International in Kent has attracted more visitors who choose to travel from regional stations.
Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown was in no doubt that the new stations had been a catalyst for the increased passenger numbers: “We are delighted at the public’s ever growing desire to travel by Eurostar. It shows that High Speed 1 and our fabulous new stations are capturing people’s imagination, combined with the fast, reliable and green advantages of our high-speed trains.”
