Ticket sales for Eurostar trains have increased by a fifth since the cross-Channel train service moved to St Pancras in North London and started running at 186 mph.

The introduction of faster London to Paris and London to Brussels services in the last six weeks of the year helped the train operator to carry a record number of passengers in 2007, up 5.1 per cent to 8.26 million.

Between mid-November, when the new High Speed 1 line opened, and the end of December, passenger numbers increased by 11 per cent and ticket sales grew by 20 per cent.

The long-awaited improvement in performance at Eurostar comes at a crucial time for the operation, as plans are being drawn up to sell off the three parts of the business that make up London & Continental, the company that built the UK's first new high speed line for more than 20 years.

London & Continental has a stake in Eurostar which is likely to come under the hammer and its value will be partly determined by the train operator's success in maintaining the strong start the new operation from St Pancras has seen.

Eurostar's other shareholders include the French state railway, SNCF, and SNCB, the Belgian rail operator.

Cross-channel rail appears to have the edge on budget airlines for travel to destinations in Northern France and Belgium, according to recent figures, with the train enjoying a renaissance with passengers who are interested in cutting their carbon emissions.

Moving the Eurostar operation from Waterloo in South London to St Pancras, in the North of the capital, has also made the operation more accessible for people travelling from cities and towns in the UK's regions. Through tickets from just £67 return went on sale from 68 UK towns and cities to Paris, Disneyland and Brussels and 75 connecting destinations across France.

Eurostar,s chief executive Richard Brown said: “The launch of Eurostar services on High Speed 1 has begun a new era in short-haul travel between the UK and mainland Europe. The impact has been immediate: Eurostar’s faster services, shorter travel times and carbon neutral journeys are winning over more travellers from the short-haul airlines."

Mr Brown said that he expected to see the growth continue throughout 2008.

The 2007 Rugby World Cup, which was held in France during September and October, also boosted traffic. England's unexpected success in reaching the final of the tournament meant that there was increased travel between the two countries for the full six weeks of the tournament.

Eurotunnel, the owner of the Channel Tunnel itself and the operator of a car and lorry shuttle service, is expected to report strong figures for December when it updates its traffic and revenue figures next week.

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