Eurostar reports record year

[JamieLei]

From Railnews.co.uk
Source: http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/business ... ofits.html

Eurostar reports record year



EUROSTAR had a record year in 2008 — marred only by the effects of the fire in the Channel Tunnel which has restricted services since last autumn.

But passenger numbers have been boosted by the decline in the value of the pound against the euro, attracting many people from the Continent to travel to London on shopping trips, Eurostar’s chief executive Richard Brown told BBC News.

Eurostar Group Ltd said ticket revenue rose 11 per cent to £664 million in 2008. Passenger numbers jumped 10 per cent from a year earlier to 9.1 million, the company said.

Eurostar, which runs passenger trains between London and Paris and Brussells, said passenger numbers were “significantly affected” by a fire aboard a shuttle train in the Channel Tunnel last September and would have been higher without the incident.

Richard Brown said Eurostar growth had also been boosted by the move of its London terminal to St Pancras International, which was close to Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras domestic stations, and had encouraged many more passengers from the Midlands and North of England to use the international service.

Eurostar expects to restore a full timetable in early spring 2009 when repairs to the undersea rail link are completed.

• Passengers using Spain’s domestic air services fell by 20 per cent last year, as the number travelling on high-speed trains rose by 28 per cent. The increase in passengers using the 350 km/h (220 mph) AVE trains was boosted by a new line between Madrid and Barcelona and by other high-speed lines from Madrid to Valladolid, Segovia and Malaga.

The Spanish government has promised to build 10,000 km (6,200 miles) of high-speed track by 2020 to ensure that nine out of ten of Spaniards live within 30 miles of a station. Spain’s prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, says it will be Europe's most extensive high-speed network.

[JamieLei]

Brilliant news which has been a relief to hear on the onset of the recession. In challenging times that included the Channel Tunnel fire and numerous French rail strikes, it's amazing to hear they're still going strong and hope they emerge from the downturn as one of the more successful companies.

I'd be interested to know how what percentage of the London to Paris market Eurostar now own. In terms of business travel, I saw a figure of 90% although I highly doubt it as BA operate 8 flights from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle per day. Excluding transfer flights, I actually can't see in the slightest how the plane is faster, especially as the two airports are on out of town locations which take 15 and 25 minutes respectively to get to on the HeX and RER B (non-stop), and then there's baggage and immigration, and security, and loading, and etc.

DB have officially now taken an interest in running to London through the Channel Tunnel, which hopefully Eurotunnel will encourage by removing the strict safety restrictions that apply to passenger trains (they have to be capable of being split in half). So in 5 years or so, we may even be seeing ICE 3 sets in London.

Note to mods: Double post as to not mix up the news report and my opinions.

[Kevo00]

This is good to hear, and seriously one for all the doubting Thomases and other detractors of Eurostar and the Channel Tunnel...its good that its doing well at last, and that the government and society in general had the patience to see the project through to its realization.

[jvassie]

Well DB were part of the gorup that purchased Liang Rail, who own Chiltern Railways amongst other assets.

I recall reading somewhere that DB might even have an interest in running trains to Birmingham, though how that would work I have no idea at all, would definitely be interesting though!

[John]

Brilliant news which has been a relief to hear on the onset of the recession. In challenging times that included the Channel Tunnel fire and numerous French rail strikes, it's amazing to hear they're still going strong and hope they emerge from the downturn as one of the more successful companies.

EuroStar has always done fairly well - it's Eurotunnel that has always struggled. Any idea how they are doing?

and then there's baggage and immigration, and security, and loading, and etc.

EuroStar also has security (although not as unnecessarily excessive), immigration and business people will probably not check in any baggage on a route as short as Paris-London.

Unfortunately St Pancras has issues - the departure lounge is too small and quiet frankly rather dull. The only time when you actually see the impressive roof is if you arrive by taxi, or in the 5 minutes when you emerge from the departures lounge to board the train.
Oh, and the Eurostars are looking dated inside, they seem to have a 1970s stripe effect on all the seats...

[Kevo00]

Brilliant news which has been a relief to hear on the onset of the recession. In challenging times that included the Channel Tunnel fire and numerous French rail strikes, it's amazing to hear they're still going strong and hope they emerge from the downturn as one of the more successful companies.

EuroStar has always done fairly well - it's Eurotunnel that has always struggled. Any idea how they are doing?

EuroTunnel are not doing too well as far as I know, because of the fire etc. But you forget that EuroStar went bankrupt in the late 1990s and had to be rescued by the government, because no one was using it as it took so long to get from Waterloo to the tunnel.

[JamieLei]

Quite a reversal now!

It was largely the media hype about it, which for once portrayed a positive image of the railways. No cost overrun, no delays, on-time trains and 186mph into London. (Although they forget the many residents that were affected due to the building of the line!)

[Kevo00]

The media were not exactly massively pro-CTRL when it was still being built, or even proposed.

The fact is that the finished article was so well done that it gave them nothing to complain about, and now that it is busy it is no longer a white elephant.

[JamieLei]

The media were not exactly massively pro-CTRL when it was still being built, or even proposed.

The fact is that the finished article was so well done that it gave them nothing to complain about, and now that it is busy it is no longer a white elephant.

At the moment Ebbsfleet looks a little like a white elephant, although that will soon change once domestic services start on the Channel tunnel. It'll also enable the Ashford moaners to get a connection to Ebbsfleet (Southeastern at one time allowed free connections to Ashford with a valid Eurostar ticket, I wonder if they'd do the same with Ebbsfleet?)

[ostlandr]

Hey! Don't forget us Americans! We got high speed rail, too! Our new Empire State Express will have a top speed of 112 mph (180 kmh), and set an average speed of over 60 mph (100 kmh).

Oh, right- that was 1891. Sorry- my bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Express

[Kevo00]

What about the Acela? One American once told me it does 320mph

[JamieLei]

Haha - they wish

The average speed of it is rather poor. In the UK I believe it's the Pendolinos which have the highest average speed, with something like 112mph for a particular route (forgot which).

[Kevo00]

Surely Eurostar manages just a couple of mph faster than that on its way to the tunnel?

[JamieLei]

Oh I was thinking about current domestic trains - my bad!

Of course Eurostar would

[R682818]

Well, Acela dose 150MPH. For 34 stunning miles *choke* in Rhode Island... The rest of it is 80-135 mostly.

[Dave]

Well, Acela dose 150MPH. For 34 stunning miles *choke* in Rhode Island... The rest of it is 80-135 mostly.

Mainly because the brilliant designers didn't think about the tilt mechanism and how it'd... affect the surroundings on the line? Whoops...

Kevo00: Some trains are booked to travel the 67 miles from St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel in 32 minutes (9I06 0553 SPX-Bruxelles Midi as an example...), which amounts to 125.7mph.

So not bad then, for £5.2 billion!

[beeb375]

Hmm, I just know from last summer that the 0700 departure for Lille and probably Brussels reaches 300kph well before the tunnel entrance, they make a little on-board announcement and everything, very impressive.

[Dave]

Hmm, I just know from last summer that the 0700 departure for Lille and probably Brussels reaches 300kph well before the tunnel entrance, they make a little on-board announcement and everything, very impressive.

Well it should - 300kmh is the linespeed of 186mph. For me, it was a step up from travelling at 60 on the Stourbridge Line to 125 on a Voyager, so I guess it's the same up to 186.