Virgin Wins Approval for 20 Daily Channel Tunnel Trains as Eurostar Faces First Rival Since 1994
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17
Virgin Wins Approval for 20 Daily Channel Tunnel Trains as Eurostar Faces First Rival Since 1994
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17
Summary
Virgin won UK regulatory approval to run up to 20 daily return Channel Tunnel services linking London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from Oct. 1, 2030 to Dec. 31, 2040.
The Office of Rail and Road called the move a significant step toward competition on a route Eurostar has monopolized since 1994, saying passengers should benefit from more international rail capacity.
Virgin still must secure 12 high-speed trains, obtain UK and EU safety clearances, and win access beyond the UK leg, because the approval covers only St Pancras to the tunnel at Dover.
Competition is building ahead of launch: FS Italiane's Trenitalia France plans Channel Tunnel services from 2029 and last week ordered 19 Hitachi high-speed trains for the route.
The approval follows a 2025 ORR decision allowing Virgin to share the Temple Mills depot with Eurostar, a key operational hurdle because it is the UK's only depot suited to continental-sized trains.