Virgin’s Eurostar rival plans officially confirmed with trains to launch in 2030

In a ‘major breakthrough’ for Virgin, the Eurostar rival says it can now progress with plans to launch it’s cross-Channel rail services, offering routes from 2030.

The Government’s Office of Rail and Road have announced that Sir Richard Branson’s company will be allowed to use the Temple Mills International rail depot to maintain their fleet of 12 trains.

The Temple Mills site has been in in high demand, with several of Eurostar’s competitors vying for space at the depot. Richard Branson has previously said space here was a ‘major hurdle’ in being able to offer a service.

But now, the regulatory green signal puts Virgin on course to introduce cross-Channel services from London St Pancras to Europe within the next five years.

Sir Richard Branson, 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.’

What are Virgin’s plans for Cross-channel rail services?

Virgin recently signed a deal for 12 high-speed Avelia Stream trains, aiming to use the rolling stock – from French train manufacturer Alstom – for journeys through the Channel Tunnel by 2030.

The plan was revealed in the company’s submission to the ORR for permission to run services on HS1, the high-speed line from London St Pancras to Kent and on through the Tunnel.

The submission, which suggests that Virgin is the only applicant that has secured funding and trains, is the first significant challenge to Eurostar’s dominance of the Channel Tunnel since it began operating in 1994.

Virgin first announced plans to take on Eurostar in January.

Alongside improving choice for passengers, Metro understands that the company’s aim is to inject some joy into their journey across the Channel, which suggests the onboard experience itself will be a priority for the firm.

In an effort to win over Eurostar customers, Virgin will also be sweetening the pot, with bookings connected to its Group-wide rewards programme, Virgin Red.

There is also some speculation that Richard Branson’s company is now believed to be considering routes from Birmingham and Manchester.

These additional stops would offer growth above its current proposal to launch trains from London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, with potential for additional destinations in Germany and Switzerland, within the next five years.

A Virgin representative told Metro that stopping at Kent is also a real possibility, after Eurostar services at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International stations were suspended in 2020.

They said: ‘Reopening the stations to be able to accommodate international services requires commitment and resources from all parties and potential competitors involved.

‘But if the stations are opened, Virgin will stop in Kent.’

According to The Telegraph, Virgin is hoping these regional stops will help garner approval from the Department for Transport, which is expected to issue a ruling on approved Eurostar competitors later this month.

Branson previously hinted at this in a submission to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in July, where he claimed his firm would explore ways ‘to enhance onward connectivity to the wider UK rail network’ were it to be chosen by the regulator.

Through this expansion into the north of England, Virgin Trains – which successfully operated across major cities including Birmingham and Manchester between 1997 and 2019 – could capitalise on increased public brand awareness compared to foreign bidders Trenitalia France, Evolyn, and Gemini Trains.

What do other Eurostar competitors hope to offer cross-Channel rail customers?

Branson’s iconic brand isn’t the only one with ambitions.

Gemini Trains has also confirmed plans to launch a fleet of 10 trains from the UK to Europe, while Spanish start-up Evolyn and alternative passenger rail operator Trenitalia France are also in the running, according to DfT documents.

Rail fares between the UK and France have soared since the pandemic, but all of this moving and shaking suggests passengers can soon look forward to a change in the game.

‘Any competition is good competition, and a new player would obviously help to bring rail fares down,’ Zoe Adjey, senior lecturer at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of East London, previously told Metro.

She says it’s high time that the UK levels up its rail services, both at home and abroad.

‘When you think back 30 years ago when we first got Eurostar at Waterloo, you should have been able to move to Manchester at the same speed – that never happened,’ she notes.

‘The rail industry hasn’t done what they were supposed to be doing.’

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