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Eurostar gets set for Christmas and New Year get away

-- More than 420,000 travellers take Eurostar for the festive season
-- Limited availability on board the trains

Eurostar, the high-speed rail service that links UK, France and Belgium, is gearing up its services for the Christmas holiday period. More than 420,000 travellers are expected to travel on Eurostar to make a quick get away over the holidays or visit friends and relatives on the continent (from Friday 19 December 2008 to Monday 5 January 2009 included).

Eurostar will be running services throughout the Christmas and New Year period, with the exception of 25 December when there will be no services. A Sunday timetable will operate on 26 December. Due to engineering works taking place in the Channel Tunnel, Eurostar will operate a reduced timetable on 30 December and 31 December. There is now a limited availability only for travel over this period.

The last departures on 24 December and 31 December are as follows:

Timetable (all times are local):

Date	London-Paris	London - Brussels	Paris-London	Brussels-London
24 December	17:35	16:30	18:13	17:59
31 December	17:00	16:40	18:13	18:29

Simon Montague, Eurostar’s Director of Communications, said: “Despite the downturn we are seeing very high levels of demand. Christmas is when people relax and they want the comfort and convenience of high-speed rail. Eurostar is delighted to be playing an active role this Christmas, bringing friends and families to their loved ones and carrying their gifts across the Channel”.

Eurostar is currently operating an amended timetable that makes best use of the Channel Tunnel capacity provided by Eurotunnel. This timetable represents 93% of Eurostar capacity before the tunnel incident on 11 September 2008. Eurostar expects to return to a full timetable in the spring once Eurotunnel, the Channel tunnel operator, is able to restore full access to both tunnels under the sea.

***ENDS***

Notes to Editors:

1. Eurostar is the high-speed train service linking St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International, Ashford International, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps.

2. Eurostar offers through fares to the Continent with First Great Western, National Express East Anglia, First Capital Connect, Virgin Trains, National Express East Coast, East Midlands Trains, London Midland, Chiltern Railways and Hull Trains.

3. Ebbsfleet International in north Kent is close to junction 2 of the M25 and Bluewater shopping centre, serving 10 million people across southern and eastern England. It offers frequent services to Brussels and Paris, with ample parking and taxi and Avis car hire facilities.

4. Ashford International in Kent provides three services a day to Paris, a daily service to Disneyland Resort Paris and seasonal weekly services to the French Alps and Avignon.

5. Eurostar is the world’s first train operator to make all journeys carbon neutral. Independent research has shown that a Eurostar journey between London and Paris generates one-tenth of the carbon dioxide produced by an equivalent flight. Under its Tread Lightly initiative, Eurostar has set a target of further reducing its CO₂ emissions by 25% per traveller journey by 2012.

6. Eurostar and Friends of the Earth are working together in the UK on Eurostar’s Tread Lightly initiative and The Big Ask, Friends of the Earth’s climate campaign. To find out more about Friends of the Earth visit www.friendsoftheearth.co.uk.

7. Eurostar is a founder member of Railteam, a partnership between Europe’s leading high-speed train operators that is developing simpler ways to book and travel on the fast-expanding, European high-speed rail network.

8. Eurostar and Eurotunnel are entirely separate companies. Eurostar operates high-speed passenger trains, while Eurotunnel operates vehicle shuttle services and the Channel tunnel itself. Eurostar is Eurotunnel’s biggest customer.

9. To book through fares via Eurostar, or to find out more information, go to www.eurostar.com or call 08705 186 186.

For more information:
Eurostar Press Office
+44 (0)20 7843 5500
press.office@eurostar.co.uk

For images please go to www.eurostarimagery.co.uk and register

Press release archives

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