Eurostar saw passenger numbers rise by 6% to 4.6 million and revenues increase by 18% to £404 million during the first half of 2010. This growth is due in part to the impact of the ash cloud disruption (Eurostar put on 70 extra trains and carried 100,000 more passengers than were scheduled to travel at that time) but also reflects a strengthening of the business market and an underlying increase in both business and leisure travellers during the period.

There has been a notable increase in the number of passengers choosing Eurostar and high speed rail as an alternative to short haul air travel in Europe. Shorter journey times to the South of France, Germany and the Netherlands are prompting customers to take advantage of the ease and comfort of city centre to city centre travel.

The number of international passengers is also on the increase as visitors from the US and Australia, in particular, see travelling by Eurostar as an integral part of their European tour. June reported a very strong performance in international sales revenues which were up 24% in comparison to the same period last year.