Olympics and Jubilee drive Eurotunnel profits Overall, although the economic crisis is not yet over and competition remains strong in the cross-Channel market, customers continue to demonstrate strong loyalty to the Eurotunnel system. The high frequency of departures, the short journey time, the levels of punctuality and the minimal impact on the environment encourage industrial and individual customers to turn to Eurotunnel, whose business model and the capacity of whose staff to adapt to the increases in traffic should be recognised. High-speed Eurostar trains continued to see traffic growth during the year, reaching 9.9 million passengers (up 2 per cent), with predictions of further growth with new services to the south of France. However, there was a dip in the number of rail freight trains, down 3 per cent. Jacques Gounon, chairman and chief executive of Groupe Eurotunnel SA, said: "Groupe Eurotunnel has had a record year. The group has reaffirmed its ability to move forward by getting the best from the infrastructure and operations it manages.