Eurostar sales rise despite affects of Channel tunnel fire

Eurostar is reporting increased ticket sales and passenger numbers for the third quarter.

Travel Insurance News - 16/10/2008

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The performance improvements have come in the wake of disruptions to service caused by the Channel tunnel fire last month.

For the July-September period, Eurostar carried 2.37 million passengers, which was a 6.4 per cent increase over the same months in 2007.

The increases occurred during a time that the rail operator was dealing with disruptions of services in the aftermath of the Channel tunnel fire of 11-12 September, and a reduced service schedule that has continued due to the partial closure of the north tunnel.

Sales of tickets on the operator’s services rose by 2.4 per cent, to £152.3 million.

Eurostar’s punctuality for the seven month period of January-July 2008 averaged 92.6 per cent, which was definitely higher than the 64.8 per cent average achieved by air carriers operating on London-Paris and London-Brussels routes.

For the third quarter, the rail operator’s punctuality performance was even more impressive, at 93.5 per cent.

For the period January-September 2008, Eurostar carried seven million passengers, an increase of 13.9 per cent over the same nine months last year. Ticket sales for the period rose to £521.1 million, up by 17.2 per cent.

Eurostar is seeing a strong growth in demand from the UK, with increases as high as 100 per cent on some routes, such as from points in the Midlands and the North of England.

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