A rise in the number of business travellers using Eurostar has helped the rail operator top 10 million passengers in a single year for the first time.
Last year was the 10th successive year in which passenger numbers have grown at the high-speed channel tunnel train operator, which has carried 140 million passengers since its launch in 1994.
Eurostar's end of year results showed passenger numbers grew 2 per cent in 2013 to 10.1 million, up from 9.9 million in 2012. Over the same period, sales revenue grew 7 per cent to £857 million.
The company said sales had been helped by an "emerging stability" in the UK corporate travel market.
Eurostar said with a series of economic indicators pointing towards a recovery in UK economy and early signs of stabilisation in the Eurozone, business travel grew strongly in 2013.
"Business sales revenues rose 6.2 per cent year-on-year, the increase pointing towards growing demand for services from business travellers, particularly those based in the UK where the recovery has a stronger foothold," the company said.
Eurostar's CEO Nicolas Petrovic said after a period of economic uncertainty, there is now more confidence in the market.
"In comparison with this time last year when the overriding sentiment was still very cautious there are more encouraging trends and in some sectors there is clearly a greater appetite to invest and look for business," he said.
Eurostar.com