Eurostar pays 7% commission on such bookings.

TW Crossroads: "The high-speed Eurostar railway system linking Britain, France and Belgium is expanding its U.S. distribution network.
Once available in the U.S. primarily via rail pass distributors such as Rail Europe and Destination Europe Resources (DER), Eurostar tickets now can be booked through alternative channels such as a proprietary call center at (800) EUROSTAR, major GDSs and at online storefronts, including the firm's own www.eurostar.com site and Internet agency Travelocity....

"From a convenience standpoint, we're already winning people over, and where we fell short before was in distribution," he said. "That's why we've now gone out and tried to make it as easy as possible for agencies to book us on behalf of the consumers who already want to travel with us."

Eurostar carried some 200,000 Americans on its trains in 2003.

Distribution diversification first began in July 2003, when Eurostar announced GDS bookability through interline agreements with nine international airlines, including US Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Under the plan, agents could book Eurostar tickets as part of transatlantic airline itineraries.

Earlier this year, Eurostar entered phase two when it joined ARC as a participating carrier

Once it joined ARC, Eurostar became bookable on the GDSs, including Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan; Eurostar pays 7% commission on such bookings.

What's more, Eurostar terminals at London's Waterloo station, the Gare du Nord in Paris and Brussels South in Belgium are identified on GDSs by airport-style codes -- QQW, XPG and ZYR, respectively -- that pop up when agents do destination searches, said van West.
'It's another thing we did to make it as easy as possible for agents to book us via the GDS.'
Eurostar also is bookable online at Travelocity, via Rail Europe Group; availability at competing consumer travel sites such as Orbitz and Expedia is also possible in the near future. "

TW Crossroads: "Eurostar, which links Britain, France and Belgium, repeated the record 19% growth it achieved in the first quarter of 2004 during the entire first half of the year, carrying more than 3.4 million passengers through the Channel Tunnel, up from 2.85 million in the first six months of 2003.
Eurostar also reported capturing significantly more London-Brussels traffic compared to air traffic, with its passenger numbers growing by 41% between May 2003 and May 2004.
The high-speed railway now accounts for 57% of traffic between the capitals, compared to 43% at the same time last year. "