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.
New link from King's Cross St Pancras opens today as Eurostar insists environmental credentials are driving increased passenger numbers 14 Nov 2007
New link from King's Cross St Pancras opens today as Eurostar insists environmental credentials are driving increased passenger numbers 14 Nov 2007
Online barcoding and integration of booking systems boosts the train operator’s network 10 Jan 2008The train operator is developing a web-based system to supplement its electronic ticketing 07 Jan 2008
Seven domestic train operators can now book through tickets to continental Europe 03 Jan 2008
Report claiming solar panels take over 100 years to recoup their value is just plain wrong, say manufacturers 05 Sep 2008
New hybrid hatchback designed to make dual-drive vehicles more affordable 05 Sep 2008
Republican attempts to highlight differences over energy policy as both candidates pledge to deliver US energy independence 05 Sep 2008
More news
Once your company has gathered up all the low-hanging fruit, what comes next? Sarah Fister Gale finds that the answer lies in everything from multi-million dollar energy efficiency programmes to printers powered by exercise bikes 03 Sep 2008
Slow journey times mean airships are highly unlikely to replace passenger jets, but, as Danny Bradbury discovers, a flotilla of new companies are convinced that low-fuel costs mean the old-fashioned aircraft could have huge appeal to freight operators 02 Sep 2008
Recent claims from the oil giant's chief executive suggesting tar sand extraction is required to slow the shift to coal may have caught the eye, but as BusinessGreen.com discovers they do not make much sense 28 Aug 2008 More in-depth
Post your comment
Send an email to the Business Green editor at feedback@businessgreen.com
