Business travellers who have to visit the continent will now find it easier
to cut their carbon emissions and travel by Eurostar after the company announced
it is offering through fares from 68 towns and cities across Britain through its
web site.
Eurostar said it had integrated its ticketing system with those of seven UK
train operators as part of a move to make "international rail journeys to
mainland Europe easier and more seamless".
Travellers from British cities, including Leeds, Leicester, Cambridge, York
and Birmingham, can now book one fare that is valid for their entire journey to
any station in Belgium and 75 destinations in France through
Eurostar.com.
The new through fares also include travel on London Underground for
passengers needing to transfer from Euston and Marylebone stations to St Pancras
International.
Under the terms of the new tickets, travellers who miss a train due to a
late-running connecting service will be able to board the next available
Eurostar or domestic train at no extra cost.
Eurostar said it was working with UK train operators to extend the range of
through fares to more British cities in mid to late 2008, as well as extend
sales to more web sites. It will also launch through fares from continental
towns and cities for business travellers and holidaymakers heading to British
destinations.
A Eurostar spokesman said that the company expected to see strong demand for
the new fares. "We launched through fares that you could buy through our call
centre last month and we have already seen strong demand," he said. " When we
were at Waterloo we had huge numbers of travellers from London and the South
East, but with the new terminal's proximity to Euston, Kings Cross and
Marylebone we are seeing far more people from the Midlands and further north
using Eurostar as a greener alternative to short-haul flights."
Eurostar claims to be considerably greener than rival short-haul flights.
Research has shown Eurostar journeys generate one tenth of the CO2 compared to
equivalent flights to Paris and Brussels, while last month
the
company announced it would carbon offset all journeys at no extra charge to
passengers.
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