From the water to the rails…
Ferry Online Travel News 14/04/2008
Improved rail service is drawing customers away from the ferry
Ferries crossing the Channel are facing new competition thanks to the recent opening of St Pancras International station and the addition of a high-speed rail link through Southern England. The improvements on the Eurostar route have lured a growing number of customers from the water to the rails with an estimated two million people availing themselves of the cross-Channel train service on an annual basis.
During the first three months of 2008, Eurostar says it has seen an increase of 21.3 per cent in passenger numbers compared to the same period last year. According to their statistics, 2.17 million customers used their train services to journey between London, Paris and Brussels from January to March this year.
The £5.8 billion spent on upgrading Eurostar’s services with a high-speed link have made the journey time shorter than ever. According to Nick Mercer, Eurostar's commercial director, "The passenger increase is coming from shorter journey times, better punctuality and improved connectivity, particularly from the UK regions. We have seen a near doubling of passengers from places such as York and the east Midlands."
Mercer says that while much of the passenger growth comes from new customers, many of the train travellers this year are forsaking ferry operators and airlines in favor of the train.
Unlike airports, security restrictions on trains are much easier to handle and there are far less delays and cancellations. Eurostar said that their punctuality has never been better, with 93.6 per cent of their services operating on time.
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