Olympics help Eurostar reach record passenger numbers in 2024
High-speed train operator Eurostar carried a record 19.5 million passengers in 2024, with the increase partly due to the summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, the company announced on Thursday.
The number was 5 per cent higher than in 2023, or an increase of 850,000 passengers. The biggest absolute growth was seen on the London-Paris connection, which attracted 280,000 extra passengers compared to 2023. The London-Brussels line added 250,000 passengers and Paris-Brussels 160,000.
New connections
Eurostar’s ambition is to grow to 30 million passengers by 2030. It announced last year that it would order up to 50 new trains, to refresh and expand the fleet. The first trains are due to arrive by 2030.
In November, which marked 30 years since the launch of Eurostar, the company said it was “exploring new connections from hub locations such as London and Brussels”.
Eurostar, partly owned by Belgian rail operator SNCB, runs high-speed trains in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands and through the Channel Tunnel to and from London. The company is based in Brussels and Midi station is the main hub in the network.
Eurostar staff with Olympic committee chair Jean-Michel Saive, Eurostar CCO Francois Le Doze and Paralympian Laurens Devos at the inauguration of the Eurostar Golden Train, which carried Belgian athletes to the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, at Brussels Midi station, June 2024 © BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR
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