Eurostar could finally be getting some competition on its London to Europe routes. Virgin Trains has cleared another major hurdle towards launching services to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and could be able to run up to 20 daily return journeys from London to the continent from 2030.
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The move would end Eurostar’s three-decade monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel and give travellers another option for crossing the Channel by train.
Virgin still has several regulatory boxes to tick before tickets can go on sale, but its plans are now looking increasingly realistic.
On Monday, rail regulator the UK-based Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirmed it had given approval for Sir Richard Branson’s trains to run out of London St Pancras and on High Speed 1, which is the line that runs between London and the Channel Tunnel in Kent.
That approval period runs between 1 October, 2030 and 31 December, 2040.
The move comes after Virgin Trains was granted access late last year to share Eurostar’s existing Temple Mills depot in London to store and maintain its trains. It’s the only depot that’s accessible from High Speed 1.
Virgin Trains has not yet been given permission to run its trains through the Channel Tunnel, as it's owned by Eurotunnel and that would be a separate agreement.
“Our plans for a new London - Europe rail service from 2030 are moving at pace. We welcome the ORR’s pre-approval of our track access agreement and the opportunity to bring competition and Virgin’s award-winning customer experience to the Channel Tunnel," a Virgin Group spokesperson said.
The company plans to eventually run its services between London St Pancras and the exact same stations in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam which are used by Eurostar.
Previously, Sir Richard Branson said it was “time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route”.
The ORR has made it clear that there is “still more work to do” before the new services can launch.
Virgin Trains needs to obtain safety approvals from both the ORR and regulators in the EU, as well as secure access to other rail networks on its planned routes.