Eurostar is to soon have a rival as new direct, high-speed train services from London through Europe have been given the green light to run through the Channel Tunnel. Virgin Trains, owned by billionaire Sir Richard Branson, has been chosen by the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) to use the Temple Mills International depot in East London.
Temple Mills in the only train depot that can be accessed from HS1 (the line that runs between London and the Channel Tunnel) meaning access to it is crucial for any company wanting to run trains to Europe. Access to the depot means Virgin can maintain and store trains, ending Eurostar’s monopoly of the Channel Tunnel. This will be the first train service to rival Eurostar since it launched more than 30 years ago. Sir Richard has described it as “the big hurdle that we had to get through” in the process.
He said: “The ORR’s decision is the right one for consumers – it’s time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route.
“Virgin is no stranger to delivering award-winning rail services, and just as we have successfully challenged incumbents in air, cruise and rail, we’re ready to do it again. We’re going to shake-up the cross-Channel route for good and give consumers the choice they deserve.”
This opens the door for the UK to serve a host of new cities across Europe including Cologne, Lyon, Frankfurt, Geneva and cities south of Paris.
Virgin says it wants to run trains between London’s St Pancras station and the city centres of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030.
Earlier this month, the company even said that it if it won the bid, it could run services from Manchester and Birmingham.
Virgin also said that it will stop at Kent’s Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International stations if they are are reopened – which had Eurostar trains until the Covid pandemic.
However, Virgin has a few more huddles to overcome as additional regulatory approvals are necessary and the company’s trains will require track access and a safety go-ahead before it can start international services.
Eurostar saw a record number of passengers in 2024, with a total of 19.5 million customers.
However, travelling on Eurostar is often much more expensive than it is to fly to Paris, especially if you book a ticket during peak times. Last year it was named Europe’s worst-performing train operator, scoring low for reliability and price.
