Virgin Trains step closer to running cross-Channel services
Virgin Trains is a step closer to running its services through the Channel Tunnel, after the regulator approved its application to share a depot with Eurostar. The decision from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) means that the Eurostar will no longer have a monopoly on passenger travel through the tunnel for the first time since it opened in 1994.
Temple Mills railway storehouse in east London is the sole depot in the country that can accommodate the larger trains used in continental Europe and is already linked to the Channel line.
Virgin Trains hopes to begin operating services from 2030 with Eurostar saying it would be reviewing the decision and “considering our next steps to ensure we can continue to grow.”
“Our priority is to deliver for passengers the benefits of the investments in a new fleet, jobs, and depot facilities that we recently announced,” a spokesperson from Eurostar said.
In the past, the ORR said that the Temple Mills depot only had enough space to house an expanded Eurostar fleet or to accommodate a competitor’s trains, but not both. A number of steps would need to be taken before any new international services could be run.
Virgin Trains needs to reach a commercial agreement with Eurostar, secure finance, access to track and stations, and will need safety approval from both British and EU authorities. But, according to the ORR< the decision would unlock plans for around £700 million of investment, create 400 new jobs, and would be a “win for passengers, customer choice, and economic growth.”
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