EUROSTAR is meeting surging demand by adding an 18th train service between London and Paris on Mondays to Thursdays from next month to complement its already boosted Friday services.

The company is seeing growth in passenger numbers of 100 per cent plus in some regions north of London as travellers take advantage of good value through-fares and easy domestic connections to St Pancras International.

The extra trains will provide a half-hourly service between London and Paris during morning and evening peaks, and close to an hourly service throughout the rest of the day, with 24,000 seats available Monday to Thursday and 30,000 on Fridays.

The company has experienced surging demand during the first six months of the year, with ticket sales up 25 per cent and traveller numbers up 18 per cent, driven by demand from the UP regions and the rising cost of flying.

Growth in traveller numbers – an 18.3 per cent year-on-year increase to 4.63 million – was greatest in towns and cities to the north of London which enjoy easy access to St Pancras International.

Those seeing the strongest growth include Derby, up 190 per cent, Nottingham, up 131 per cent, and Sheffield and York with increases of 128 and 127 per cent respectively.

With high-speed rail fares unaffected by the rising oil prices that have forced up airline ticket costs, more and more travellers are choosing Eurostar for carbon neutral journeys to the continent. Ticket sales between January and June totalled £368.8 million – an increase of 24.7 per cent against the same period last year.

Also during this period, punctuality levels were maintained, with 92.6 per cent of trains arriving on time or early compared to just 62.3 per cent for airlines between January and April, the latest available figure. Customer demand at the new Ebbsfleet station is fully meeting expectations and is continuing at Ashford International.

Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said: “This growth clearly demonstrates that our move to St Pancras International has opened up high-speed rail services to millions more people across the UK.

“The effect of rising oil prices on air fares, combined with growing awareness of the much greater environmental impact of flying, is causing more and more travellers to switch from plane to train.”

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