Eurostar's U.S. Riders Grow By One-Fifth

Eurostar, which runs high-speed trains between London, Paris and Brussels, today announced it carried 20 percent more U.S.-based passengers between January and October than in the same period last year. The company attributed the increase, in part, to the launch this year of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in the U.K. portion of the railroad, which cut 40 minutes from the roundtrip time. The improved U.K. track allows Eurostar trains to travel at 186 miles per hour, a speed previously reached only in France and Belgium.

According to Alain van West, head of international sales, Eurostar partnerships with US Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways, intended to encourage U.S. business travelers to use the high-speed trains within Europe, also contributed to the additional usage.