Eurotunnel revenue lifted 8 percent by rail freight and ferry business

PARIS (Reuters) - Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel (PAR:GET) reported an 8 percent rise in first-quarter revenue on Thursday, driven by growth in rail freight and at its MyFerryLink ferry service.

The tunnel linking France to Britain, which will celebrate 20 years of business next month, carries the Eurostar high-speed train from Paris and Brussels to London as well as shuttle trains conveying passenger cars, coaches and freight trucks.

Quarterly group revenue rose to 260.5 million euros (214.7 million pounds) as traffic grew 4 percent for truck shuttles and 13 percent for freight trains, Eurotunnel said in a statement.

Eurostar trains carried 3 percent more passengers over the quarter, while MyFerryLink posted a 64 percent jump in sales and achieved a 9.9 percent market share, compared with about 7 percent a year earlier.

The future of the ferry business launched in 2012 hangs in the balance pending the outcome of an inquiry by Britain's Competition Commission, which is due in early May. The antitrust watchdog has voiced concerns that Eurotunnel, which bought its ferries from now-defunct SeaFrance, would dominate the Channel crossing with more than half the market.

"Groupe Eurotunnel SA considers that this maritime activity has proven its relevance, its usefulness and its potential for customers," the company said in its statement, arguing that a ban on the service would reduce capacity and drive up prices.

(Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by David Goodman)