Train operator Eurostar has passed the annual 10 million passenger landmark for the first time in 2013.
The company, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary of operations in 2014, said it had gone past the 10 million barrier today (December 30) for its services from London to mainland Europe.
Eurostar said that it had been boosted in 2013 by “signs of a recovery in the UK economy” as well as a strong summer for leisure traffic, including more passengers from the US, Australia, China and Brazil.
Nick Mercer, Eurostar’s commercial director, said: “2013 has been a record-breaking year for Eurostar. With a leap in passenger numbers as well as the introduction of new routes and new destinations, we are seeing growing demand from customers across Europe and indeed around the world.”
The train operator has also benefited from new routes such as a winter ski service to the Swiss Alps and a trial route to Provence in southern France which will be introduced on a permanent basis from 2015.
Eurostar has now carried more than 140 million passengers since it began services in November 1994 from London to Paris and Brussels. The operator is planning to add Amsterdam as a direct destination from London in December 2016.
eurostar.com