Eurostar International, a UK-based high-speed rail service between the UK and mainland Europe, has reported a good performance for its third financial quarter of 2012, riding high on the recent 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
While passenger numbers remained flat year-on-year at 2.6 million during the third quarter of 2012, the London Games affected travel patterns. Passenger numbers for the Olympic and Paralympic periods have gone up by 4 percent, although the number of leisure travellers visiting London in July 2012 had been lower than the preceding year.
The company has reported a drop in sales revenues of 5 percent for the 2012 third quarter when compared to the same period in 2011, from £197 million to £188 million.
Eurostar chief executive officer, Nicolas Petrovic, said, ‘We have had an inspiring and rewarding summer bringing athletes and spectators from around the world to the Olympic Games.
While many corporate clients and business customers decided to steer clear of London during the Games, we nonetheless delivered a solid performance.
Looking ahead to the end of the year, the outlook is strong.
The redesign and upgrading of our fleet marks the next phase of our business.
With customers increasingly opting for rail over plane for short-haul journeys across Europe, we want to provide an unrivalled travel experience between the UK and the continent and to encourage more passengers to choose high speed rail as their preferred option.’
For the 2012 year to date, passenger numbers are up to 7.4 million from around 7.3 million in 2011, with sales revenues decreased by 1 percent to £612 million for this year, from £619 million in 2011.
