London-Paris train service up 16 percent

PARIS - Eurostar, the operator of high-speed train service between London and Paris under the English Channel, said Wednesday its ticket sales surged 16 percent in 2007 as it carried 8.26 million passengers.

Ticket sales climbed to a record $1.2 billion, up from 518 million pounds in the previous year, the company said in a statement. Sales and passenger figures have risen each year since the service started.
The company gave credit to the newly refurbished St. Pancras station in London.
"The move to St. Pancras International has opened up high-speed rail services to millions more people across the U.K.," Eurostar said. "The new station, together with next door King's Cross and nearby Euston, is linked to towns and cities both north and south of the capital, with connections to seven mainline services and six London Underground lines."
Growth in international markets — or those outside Eurostar's home markets of the U.K., France and Belgium — grew strongly during 2007 with ticket sales up by 20 percent against the previous year.
Eurostar is a separate entity from Eurotunnel, which operates a vehicle shuttle service and the Channel tunnel itself.