Eurostar passenger numbers flat, profits slide

High-speed train operator Eurostar saw passenger numbers stay flat in 2015, and profits drop by more than £20m, with the company blaming a sharp drop in patronage after the Paris terrorist attacks in November.

The privately-held company is majority-owned by the French state railway operator SNCF (55%), and part-owned by the Quebec pension fund (30%), Hermes Infrastructure (10%), and the Belgian railway operator SNCB (5%).

It carried 10.4 million passengers between London and mainland Europe last year - the same number as it did in 2014. The company said trading had picked up over the first two months of 2016, as customer confidence lifted.

Sales revenues fell during the year by 5%, which the firm put down to the strength of sterling. Underlying profit fell 38.2% to £34m, from £55m.

"After a challenging end to 2015, trading is picking up and the outlook for summer is positive," said chief executive Nicholas Petrovic.

"With our new state-of-the-art trains and highly competitive fares to a range of destinations, we expect this trend to gather momentum over the coming months," he added.

A ballot on strike action among RMT members of Eurostar's staff was closing on Tuesday afternoon, which could disrupt the busy lead-up to summer for the operator.