Eurostar, the high-speed train operator, has reported a modest boost in passenger numbers and revenue in the first three months of the year.

The company appears to be back on track after fierce criticism over its handling of the crisis just before Christmas when five trains broke down because of engine failure caused by extreme cold weather conditions.

Between January and March, two million passengers used the services between London, Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Lille, Paris and Brussels, up from 1.9 million in the first quarter of 2009. Sales revenue edged up from £168m to £178m, a rise of five per cent.

Eurostar carried 22 per cent more travellers originating from outside Europe. The number of leisure passengers travelling between the UK and the Continent went up by six per cent from 1.65m to 1.76m.

Business sales were broadly the same as the fourth quarter of 2009, confirming, Eurostar said, that the market was bottoming out.

Nicolas Petrovic, who recently took over from Richard Brown as Eurostar's chief executive, said: "Whilst there is still uncertainty about the economic outlook, we have seen a big increase in leisure travel over the last three months, not just from the Continent but from overseas markets. We are also seeing growing evidence of travellers wanting to switch from plane to high-speed train for longer, connecting journeys."

Meanwhile, Eurostar said plans were well advanced to change its three-way ownership involving London & Continental Railways, SNCF, the French railway operator, and Belgian railways SNCB, into a single unified company.

Mr Petrovic added: "I am very pleased that we are moving closer to the new corporate structure which will streamline decision-making, deliver consistency of service standards across the three countries and ensure that the business is well placed to compete in an open access world."

In a separate move, Eurostar passengers will be able to travel between the UK and Provence in reserved coaches that connect with TGV trains in Lille. The new service will be for a trial period and Eurostar says that if it proves popular, it may be extended to other destinations. It is also introducing a Eurostar Plus customer loyalty scheme.