More than half of the UK public now take environmental considerations into account when planning a journey of less than 400 miles, according to a new YouGov survey of more than 2,000 adults.

The study, commissioned by Eurostar, found that attitudes to travel are shifting rapidly with a third of respondents claiming that environmental concerns over short haul journeys are more important than a year ago.

This growing awareness of the environmental impact of travel decisions is translating into increased demand for train operators, according to the survey which claims that one in 20 respondents are planning to switch from plane to train over the next year for journeys within the UK or to closer European destinations.

The shift in attitude is also translating into financial success for Eurostar, which this week reported that traveller numbers climbed by more than 21 per cent year-on-year during the first quarter of the year to 2.17 million passengers. Ticket revenue also climbed to a record level, jumping more than 25 per cent year-on-year to £178.4m.

A spokesman for the company said that environmental factors were playing a key role in the increase in traveller numbers, particularly among business customers.

"We're seeing growth across the board with both leisure and business travellers and that is being driven by a range of things, such as greater convenience, punctuality and the lower environmental impact compared with flying, " he said.

Eurostar has invested heavily in presenting itself as a green travel option over the last year. The company announced that it was offset emissions from all its journeys following its move to Kings Cross late last year and also introduced onboard energy meters on all its train as part of an initiative to cut emissions further.