Eurostar Lures 2m Passengers From Airlines

It may have been a long time coming but the transfer of London Eurostar services from Waterloo Station to St Pancras Station has resulted in a substantial increase in passenger numbers and sales revenue. In the first quarter of 2008 Eurostar carried over 2 million passengers, an increase of over 21% on the corresponding period in 2007.

Taking into account some anomalies from the first quarter of 2008, such as the timing of Easter and the Six Nations Rugby, these have added to the large jump in passenger numbers which will have no doubt have had an impact on airlines operating a similar route.

Eurostar has had something of a chequered past and the delay in transferring to the new high speed 1 system which links it with the Channel Tunnel and St Pancras Station has not helped. However, now that these changes have been implemented there has been a large increase in the punctuality of the train service with nearly 94% of trains either on time or within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time much to the chagrin of alternative travel option easyJet.

The new style service has also allowed Eurostar to improved access into continental Europe putting underrated cities such Lille only one and a half hours journey from London and has also added link services between St Pancras Station and 68 towns and cities across the UK. This increased level of accessibility has seen large increases in the number of passengers from all areas of the country, although there has been a substantial increase in passengers from the North of the UK.

It seems that more and more people are choosing to sample the delights of Europe with direct links to Paris and Brussels from London. The improvements in the service and the greater accessibility have all been paramount, but the recent turmoil with air travel from both green and fuel cost perspectives has prompted more and more people to consider the Eurostar as a viable option.

The Eurostar service has now opened up quick and easy access to more and more areas of mainland Europe, putting a greater number of European properties within easy reach of UK property investors. As some areas of the European property market show signs of running out of steam, expect to see renewed interest in new destination opened up as a result of Eurostar.