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Eurostar traveller numbers rise by over 21% to record 2.17 million in first quater of 2008
-- Revenues increase by 25% as more travellers are attracted to high-speed rail
-- Punctuality hits new record of 93.6%
-- Eurostar makes good progress in first year of ‘Tread Lightly’ initiative to reduce its environmental impact
Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train operator between Britain and mainland Europe, today (14 April) reported a 21.3% rise in traveller numbers to 2.17 million between January and March 2008, compared with the same period last year.
Ticket revenues increased by 25.2% to £178.4 million during the first full three-month period of carbon neutral journeys on High Speed 1, the new 186mph line between St Pancras International and the Channel Tunnel.
The record traveller numbers and revenues follow Eurostar’s highly successful, overnight move of services to St Pancras International and High Speed 1 last November. Factors driving up demand include faster journey times, more connections to towns and cities across Britain, even better punctuality and the public’s growing desire to switch to less environmentally damaging forms of transport. An early Easter, the leap year and Six Nations rugby tournament also gave an extra boost to the traveller and revenue figures.
Operating with new stations, a new railway and new depot, Eurostar achieved record punctuality of 93.6% of trains on time or within 15 minutes of schedule during the first quarter, even higher than the figure for 2007.
It is also one year since Eurostar launched its Tread Lightly initiative in April 2007, with the aim to reduce its environmental impact.
Under Tread Lightly, Eurotar has set a target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 25% per traveller journey by 2012; where Eurostar cannot eliminate CO2 emissions, it is investing in offsetting schemes. In addition to the CO2 reduction target, Tread Lightly includes a 10-point plan to minimise the environmental impact of all Eurostar’s other operations.
Over the last 12 months, Eurostar has:
• Become the first train operator in the world to make all journeys carbon neutral, at no extra cost to travellers (from 14 Nov 2007).
• Purchased over 40,000 high-quality carbon dioxide (CO2) offset credits from renewable energy projects in China and India.
• Installed a less environmentally damaging refrigerant on most of the train fleet, seven years before the EU deadline.
• Promoted environmentally friendly transport at destination - Eurostar sells the Visitor Oyster card on board its trains to London.
• Has reduced its paper usage by 17% so far. It is taking initiatives to reduce the paper usage further, and the progressive abolition of paper tickets is already programmed.
• Moved to Fairtrade, organic and locally sourced food on board. All hot drinks and sugar are Fairtrade.
• Introduced a sustainable purchasing policy which means that in its procurement process, at least 15% of the marks relate to the green credentials of the supplier.
Eurostar now actively monitors actual train energy consumption using on-board metering equipment. This has established that actual train energy consumption is less than projected. Eurostar is therefore recalculating a new, lower baseline against which to report progress in reducing its CO2 emissions per traveller journey.
Richard Brown, chief executive, Eurostar, said: “We are delighted at the public’s ever growing desire to travel by Eurostar. It shows that High Speed 1 and our fabulous new stations are capturing people’s imagination, combined with the fast, reliable and green advantages of our high-speed trains.
“I am pleased that we are making progress on our Tread Lightly initiative. As I said a year ago, we don’t have all the answers, but we are chipping away at reducing our environmental impact and we will keep at it, right across the business. What’s great is that both our staff and our travellers are ‘doing their bit’ and making a difference. We all have a duty to act.”
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-- Punctuality hits new record of 93.6%
-- Eurostar makes good progress in first year of ‘Tread Lightly’ initiative to reduce its environmental impact
Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train operator between Britain and mainland Europe, today (14 April) reported a 21.3% rise in traveller numbers to 2.17 million between January and March 2008, compared with the same period last year.
Ticket revenues increased by 25.2% to £178.4 million during the first full three-month period of carbon neutral journeys on High Speed 1, the new 186mph line between St Pancras International and the Channel Tunnel.
The record traveller numbers and revenues follow Eurostar’s highly successful, overnight move of services to St Pancras International and High Speed 1 last November. Factors driving up demand include faster journey times, more connections to towns and cities across Britain, even better punctuality and the public’s growing desire to switch to less environmentally damaging forms of transport. An early Easter, the leap year and Six Nations rugby tournament also gave an extra boost to the traveller and revenue figures.
Operating with new stations, a new railway and new depot, Eurostar achieved record punctuality of 93.6% of trains on time or within 15 minutes of schedule during the first quarter, even higher than the figure for 2007.
It is also one year since Eurostar launched its Tread Lightly initiative in April 2007, with the aim to reduce its environmental impact.
Under Tread Lightly, Eurotar has set a target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 25% per traveller journey by 2012; where Eurostar cannot eliminate CO2 emissions, it is investing in offsetting schemes. In addition to the CO2 reduction target, Tread Lightly includes a 10-point plan to minimise the environmental impact of all Eurostar’s other operations.
Over the last 12 months, Eurostar has:
• Become the first train operator in the world to make all journeys carbon neutral, at no extra cost to travellers (from 14 Nov 2007).
• Purchased over 40,000 high-quality carbon dioxide (CO2) offset credits from renewable energy projects in China and India.
• Installed a less environmentally damaging refrigerant on most of the train fleet, seven years before the EU deadline.
• Promoted environmentally friendly transport at destination - Eurostar sells the Visitor Oyster card on board its trains to London.
• Has reduced its paper usage by 17% so far. It is taking initiatives to reduce the paper usage further, and the progressive abolition of paper tickets is already programmed.
• Moved to Fairtrade, organic and locally sourced food on board. All hot drinks and sugar are Fairtrade.
• Introduced a sustainable purchasing policy which means that in its procurement process, at least 15% of the marks relate to the green credentials of the supplier.
Eurostar now actively monitors actual train energy consumption using on-board metering equipment. This has established that actual train energy consumption is less than projected. Eurostar is therefore recalculating a new, lower baseline against which to report progress in reducing its CO2 emissions per traveller journey.
Richard Brown, chief executive, Eurostar, said: “We are delighted at the public’s ever growing desire to travel by Eurostar. It shows that High Speed 1 and our fabulous new stations are capturing people’s imagination, combined with the fast, reliable and green advantages of our high-speed trains.
“I am pleased that we are making progress on our Tread Lightly initiative. As I said a year ago, we don’t have all the answers, but we are chipping away at reducing our environmental impact and we will keep at it, right across the business. What’s great is that both our staff and our travellers are ‘doing their bit’ and making a difference. We all have a duty to act.”
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