Virgin to Rival Eurostar in International Travel

For 31 years, Eurostar has had a monopoly on the high-speed line that runs from London through the Channel Tunnel into mainland Europe. But that’s all about to change as Virgin has just been given the green light to run their own trains from Temple Mills, which is the depot that links directly to High Speed 1 (HS1), which is Eurostar’s high speed route through the tunnel.

Some routes planned are from London to Paris Gare du Nord, Brussels-Midi and Amsterdam Central, but they hope to expand to Germany and Switzerland.

In August, Virgin signed an exclusivity agreement with Alstom for 12 Avelia Stream trains, with funding provided by Equitix and Azzurra Capital.

The aim is to have trains running by 2030, though final approvals are still needed, so you still have a little wait yet and it hasn’t been fully finalised as yet.
They still have to secure access to the tracks and finalise agreements, but this announcement is a major step forward.

Virgin would become the first company to rival Eurostar, with trains departing from London St. Pancras, which is the same station Eurostar currently uses.

This development could unlock around £700 million in private sector investment and create approximately 400 new jobs.

Martin Jones, ORR Deputy Director, Access and International, said:
“With this decision we are backing customer choice and competition in international rail, unlocking up to £700mn in private sector investment and stimulating growth. While there is still some way to go before the first new services can run, we stand ready to work with Virgin Trains as their plans develop.”