News

Eurostar's northern delight

Passengers from as far north as Scotland are flocking to Eurostar following the train company's move to St Pancras International last November.

The move from Waterloo International, south of the Thames, appears to have had a dramatic psychological effect on traveller thinking, even though the two termini are barely two miles apart.

According to Eurostar's interim performance report, passenger numbers have doubled from points such as Leicester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and York, while those from Edinburgh and Glasgow are up by around 50 per cent. In all, first-half ticket sales totalled £368.8 million - an increase of almost 25 per cent against the same period in 2007. Traveller numbers reached 4.63 million - up 18.3 per cent.

Chief executive Richard Brown says: "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 travellers 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."

The increases have been bolstered by the fact that nine UK train operators now offer through-fares for European destinations from more than 130 UK rail stations.