A busiest-ever Christmas period helped Channel Tunnel high-speed rail company Eurostar to reach record passenger numbers in 2004, it was announced today.
The company, which operates out of London's Waterloo station, carried 7.27 million passengers last year - 15 per cent more than in 2003.
Its punctuality figure of 89.2 per cent of trains running on time was 10.9 per cent up on the 2003 performance and was also an annual record.
The company completed a hat-trick of best performances by chalking up sales of £433 million sterling in 2004 - a 15 per cent rise on the 2003 total.
Passenger numbers were boosted by the Christmas and new year rush, which saw 250,000 customers travelling. Eurostar ran 17 extra trains during the festive period.
The 2004 performances were boosted by the first full year of operation of the first part of the high-speed link which has resulted in faster journey times from Folkestone to north Kent.
The full link all the way to London will be ready by 2007, when Eurostar will move from Waterloo to a new international station at St Pancras in London.
PA