Terror attacks and fire dent Eurostar sales

THE performance of Eurostar at the start of the year was affected by the Channel Tunnel fire and Paris terrorist attacks in January, the high-speed rail company has announced.

Eurostar services were adversely affected by events in France and tunnel fire. Picture: AFP/Getty

Passenger numbers in the first three months of the year were comparable to last year, but sales revenue was down.

The terrorist attacks happened on 7-9 January, and the lorry fire on 17 January led to the closure of the tunnel for several hours.

But Eurostar still carried 2.3 million passengers in the first quarter, with business travellers increasing 7 per cent.

The company said sales revenue in the first three months of the year was affected not only by the events in January but also by movements in exchange rates. This meant that Q1 sales revenue was down 6 per cent to £215 million.

On 1 May, Eurostar starts a new south of France service, stopping at Lyon, Avignon and Marseille.

FOLLOW US

Twitter | Facebook | Google+

Subscribe to our DAILY NEWSLETTER (requires registration)

SCOTSMAN TABLET AND MOBILE APPS

iPhone | iPad | Android | Kindle