Virgin Trains gets green light for channel tunnel route
Virgin Trains has moved a step closer to running train services between London and Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, after the railway watchdog waved through its application to use the line connected London to the channel tunnel.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said on Monday it had given Sir Richard Branson’s train company the green light to run as many as 20 return services to continental Europe from October 2030 onwards, in a decision likely to herald the break-up of Eurostar’s decades-old monopoly of the route.
The ruling marks a significant milestone for Virgin Trains’ hopes to run a rival channel tunnel service, which were first announced last year. Virgin hailed it as an “opportunity to bring competition” to a route that has solely been operated by Eurostar since it was launched in 1994.
“Our plans for a new London – Europe rail service from 2030 are moving at pace,” a spokeswoman added. “We welcome the ORR’s pre-approval of our track access agreement.”
Virgin Trains must now secure access to other rail networks and obtain safety approvals, the ORR said. It must also procure sufficient rolling stock to operate the line. On the latter, the operator is understood to be nearing a deal for a dozen Avelia Stream high-speed trains from French rail manufacturer Alstom.
Virgin Trains secures Temple Mills depot
Eurostar has held a monopoly over passenger train services for more than 30 years, having originally been given exclusive rights to operate the line at its launch. In 2010, the line was opened up to competitive interest, but until recently, sky-high track tolls and custom train requirements meant barriers to entry have remained elevated to prospective challengers.
Since then, there has been a flurry of interest from operators keen to launch rival lines. Virgin Trains’ push is the most advanced, but Italy’s state-backed rail operator FS Group and Franco-Spanish consortium called Evolyn, are also compiling their own proposals.
Unlike its rival bidders, Virgin has managed to secure space at Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot, which is the only of its kind that connects directly onto the High Speed 1 line that runs between London and the tunnel itself.
Securing depot space has proven a headache for other potential operators. Evolyn’s application to share Temple Mills was rejected in favour of Virgin, while Italy’s FS Group is planning to build a site from scratch outside Paris.
Martin Jones, deputy director at the ORR, said the Virgin Trains track access agreement was an “important step” in the watchdog’s goal of bringing competition and growth to the UK’s international railway sector.
“We welcome the progress Virgin Trains and London St Pancras High Speed have made,” he added. “While there is still more work to do, we are supporting Virgin and the wider industry to grow international services.”