Eurostar: Extremely rare to have delays

Eurostar, the train operator that links London and continental Europe, said sales were up 6% last year.

The rise in traffic came despite a decline in business travellers. Eurostar said it had been able to attract more leisure travellers away from the airlines.

Chief Executive Nicolas Petrovic defended the company's record for punctuality, despite severe problems experienced by its passengers earlier this week.

Some were delayed by more than six hours because of a power cut.