Britons take the train to France

A record number of leisure travellers are choosing to take the train to France, according to new figures.

Eurostar has revealed that in July 2008, passenger numbers rose by 16.8 per cent on the previous year to more than 900,000.

The recent introduction of a high-speed rail link between London and Paris was said to be one of the main reasons behind the increase.

Simon Montague, director of communications at Eurostar, stated that this is because it has helped draw customers away from airlines.

He commented: "Eurostar is persuading even habitual flyers to switch from plane to train for their holidays and business trips."

Mr Montague added that he is "delighted" that the monthly passenger numbers have broken previous records.

This comes after Eurostar revealed that passenger numbers during the first quarter of the year were 21.3 per cent higher than the amount recorded 12 months earlier.