Eurostar cuts London-Paris fares to £25 each way - with strings attached

The train operator is seeking to fill trains without “cannibalising” existing customers

Travellers could arrive in Paris as late as midnight (Simon Calder)

Anyone prepared to brave the summer turmoil in France next month can at least get there more cheaply on Eurostar. The cross-Channel rail firm is selling what it says are the cheapest-ever tickets between London St Pancras and Paris Nord, at £25 one way in June.

The same price applies to and from Brussels Midi. But many strings are attached - notably that the traveller must book at least a week in advance, and cannot choose the departure time for the train.

“Eurostar Snap” is a method of filling up the many empty seats on Eurostar trains outside peak times. Travellers must go to snap.eurostar.com and log in through Facebook. They can book for “morning” or “afternoon” departures on any day between 2 and 30 June. The first morning train to Paris is at 5.40am, requiring a 5.10am check-in at St Pancras station. The last possible departure, at 8.31pm, reaches Paris shortly before midnight.

Forty-eight hours before travel, Eurostar will confirm the exact time of the train. It may be one of the first or last departures - or, perhaps more likely to be late morning or early afternoon, since these have light loads.

Once booked and paid for, tickets cannot be changed or cancelled.

“Snap” is a carefully calibrated promotion aimed at boosting business without “cannibalising” existing customers - i.e. allowing them to benefit from cheaper tickets.

Eurostar’s revenue has been badly hit by the bombings in Brussels and the terrorist attacks in Paris. It is also hamstrung by the high tunnel access charges it has to pay to Eurotunnel.

The Snap campaign is a pilot scheme, but if it proves successful it will become a more regular feature.

ENDS