International rail operator Eurostar has awarded a multi-million pound application infrastructure management contract to Indian outsourcing company NIIT Technologies.

Eurostar’s CIO Christophe Lemaire implied that the decision was motivated by a desire to cut costs. "Many global businesses face challenges to reduce cost and drive efficiencies, with the aim of providing a superior customer service," he said in a statement.

The company was set up as a partnership between three rail companies, SNCF, LCR and SNCB. Last year, it said that it had achieved its strategic goal of becoming "a single, unified corporate entity".

In April 2011, it announced a 10.7% increase in sales for the first quarter of the financial year, up to £197 million. Passenger numbers for the period rose 7.5% year-on-year to 2.15 million.