Eurostar Announces New Branding and Service Enhancements

LONDON, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Eurostar has revealed it will be changing its branding and introducing new service enhancements for its customers, with Eurostar wishing to reflect its plans and ambitions for the business in the future.

Over the last few years Eurostar has seen a big increase in the number of passengers choosing to connect through Lille, Brussels and Paris Gare du Nord ( http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/travel_information/at_the_station/stations/paris_gare_du_nord.jsp) to other destinations. This has been driven by shorter journey times and the growing desire among customers to travel in an environmentally responsible, sustainable way.

Whereas in the past Eurostar was an unincorporated partnership of three railways its business was transformed last year into one single corporate entity. Eurostar is no longer just operating in three markets - UK, France and Belgium - and its ambition is to broaden its reach and encourage customers to ditch the plane and travel further into Europe by high speed rail. Eurostar is looking to expand its horizons to the South of France, Germany and the Netherlands. To mark the start of this new chapter and signal the change within the business Eurostar has developed a new identity.

The new logo was given a lot of thought, as Eurostar are aware how much travellers like its logo. This change was researched extensively to ensure that it captures the key characteristics of Eurostar and creates an identity that signals the next phase of the business.

The new branding will be rolled out gradually over the coming weeks and months. The first changes will take place on the Eurostar website and on travel tickets, with it then moving on to logos within stations and on trains.

Over the coming months Business Premier customers will see a number of enhancements to the Eurostar service based on business customers' feedback. These include guaranteed boarding, menus from Alain Roux and an onboard taxi booking service.

Eurostar leisure customers will also see a number of improvements. Eurostar staff have expert knowledge about the destinations and want to use that expertise to enhance the overall experience for the customers. To ensure that leisure customers get the most out of their trip, Eurostar is forging partnerships across cities which ensure that its travellers get the most out of their leisure time at no extra cost - be it art, music, sport, gastronomy or shopping.

The Eurostar Plus initiative, for example, gives customers 'two for the price of one' entry to the leading galleries and museums in London, Paris and Brussels and has recently struck a deal with Jamie Oliver whereby customers travelling from the continent can get a 15% discount at his '15' restaurant in London.

Eurostar will also be upgrading its fleet and purchasing 10 new trainsets which complement its existing fleet.

About Eurostar:

Eurostar is the high-speed rail service directly linking the UK to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel. For travellers choosing Eurostar holidays to Paris, the fastest London to Paris train ( http://www.eurostar.com/static/micro_site/eurostar_london_to_paris.htm) journey time is 2 hours 15 minutes, while travelling London-Brussels takes just 1 hour 51 minutes and London-Lille only 1 hour 20 minutes.

Eurostar also offers carefully chosen hotels which customers can save on when booked together with travel, for instance when you book Eurostar Brussels city breaks ( http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/destinations/city_breaks/brussels.jsp), Amsterdam city breaks ( http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/destinations/city_breaks/amsterdam.jsp) , trips to Paris, Lille, Disneyland Paris ( http://uk.eurostar.com/uk/travel-to-france/travel-to-ile-de-france/travel-to-disneyland-paris/), Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp.

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Eurostar is a founder member of Railteam, a partnership between Europe's leading high-speed train operators that is developing simpler ways to book and travel on the fast-expanding, European high-speed rail network.

For more information contact:

    
    Aude Criqui
    Senior Press Officer
    Eurostar Press Office
    Times House
    Regent Quarter
    Bravingtons Walk
    London
    N1 9AW
    +44(0)20-7843-5405

http://www.eurostar.com