Eurotunnel’s number one client, Eurostar achieved a successful 2008: for the 1st time, Eurostar carried more than 9 million passengers through the Channel Tunnel, i.e. +10% more than the previous year.

In 2008, Eurotunnel also set a record in July by granting the transit through the Channel Tunnel of 62 Eurostar trains in 24 hours.

Now that Britain’s first high-speed line – High Speed 1 – is in service, the heart of London is just 2 hours 15 minutes from the centre of Paris, 1 hour 51 minutes from Brussels and 1 hour 20 minutes from Lille.

In London, the new St-Pancras International station is located next to King’s Cross Station and to Euston station. These 2 stations serve the whole of Northern England. This easy connection is attracting a new customer base, from outside the Greater London region. 

Another new station on the British high-speed line, Ebbsfleet station in Kent, is located next to the M25. It is as easy to access by car as Gatwick Airport (South of London) or Stansted Airport (North-East of London). Now that the journey time between London and Paris is even more competitive, Eurostar should achieve further market share gains against air links.

Development outlook

Today, services between London, Paris and Brussels represent the heart of Eurostar service. This system also includes a link to Disneyland-Paris (1 direct train / day) and 2 seasonal services. During the winter, the ski train connects London to Moûtiers and Bourg-St-Maurice twice a week; During the summer, a weekly connection is offered to Avignon, while a service will be opened up in the medium term to Toulon, Saint-Tropez and the Côte d’Azur, on the Mediterranean high-speed line, via Lyon and Marseille.

New infrastructures are currently being built: the HSL-Zuid high-speed line will be brought into service in December 2009 between Antwerp and Amsterdam, passing through Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport, the Air France-KLM Group’s hub.

Trend reversed in 2008

The benefits of implementing the new free access policy and simplified pricing system from October 2007 are starting to be seen.

After falling off sharply fro years, goods train traffic levels stabilised over 2008: 2,718 trains carried 1.24 million tonnes of freight via the Channel Tunnel, i.e. an average load of 456 tonnes per train.

This change of trend highlights the effectiveness of the new offer structure from October 2007, thanks to the efforts of all partners involved.

Designed to establish the conditions for kick-starting cross-Channel rail freight again, the approach is built around 3 sections:

• Free access to the infrastructure with a single pricing structure for all incumbents or new operators and a capping of essential cross-Channel services;
• A simplified pricing structure, per train and no longer based on a variable price per tonne, depending on the nature of the goods carried;
• A total crossing cost for operators cut by virtually half, down to €4,500 per train.