Business class boosts Eurostar sales

LONDON (Reuters) - Eurostar, the train company linking Britain with mainland Europe, said on Wednesday it had increased ticket sales by 13.6 percent to 295.7 million pounds in the first half of 2007.

Eurostar said the rise was driven by a 13 percent increase in the number of business class travellers, who were attracted by the 10-minute check-in and facilities allowing them to work on board.

Train companies are currently attracting more passengers after a series of foiled terrorist attacks have led to tighter security and delays at airports.

Eurostar also said it had been boosted by people switching from plane to train due to concerns about the environment.

Environmental statistics vary dramatically, putting the CO2 impact of aviation anywhere between four and 10 times that of rail on short-haul journeys.

France's SNCF railway and Belgium's SNCB are responsible for running Eurostar services on their own territory.

On the British side this is done by the ICRR consortium, which comprises National Express Group, which has a 40 percent stake, SNCF with 35 percent, SNCB with 15 percent and British Airways with 10 percent.