Eurostar, the high speed passenger train service that links the UK with France and Belgium recorded the best punctuality performance in its history last week.

97.58% of scheduled trains arrived on time or early between Monday 10th and Sunday 16th January 2005.  On three days during the week 100% punctuality was reached.

The record punctuality figure contrasts with the much lower punctuality rates for airline competitors operating on the London / Paris / Brussels routes – Civil Aviation Authority data shows average punctuality for the airlines on these routes was 63% for November 2004.

Since the opening of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in September 2003, over 22,400 Eurostar trains have run. Punctuality in 2004 was 89.2%, up 10.9 points on the same period last year (78.3%) and the best-ever annual punctuality figure recorded by Eurostar.

Paul Charles, Director of Communications, Eurostar, commented: "Eurostar’s new punctuality record is an outstanding achievement.  It reflects our determination to be the best performing short-haul carrier.  Business and leisure travellers need to rely on carriers like Eurostar to get them to their destination on time.”

Eurostar’s 2004 results saw a 15% increase in passenger numbers on the previous year with 7.27 million passengers travelling.