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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