Virgin Trains is set to launch international services through the Channel Tunnel after its application to share Eurostar’s east London depot was approved.
Regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) granted access to Sir Richard Branson’s company to use the Temple Mills site for maintaining and storing trains.
Access to the depot is a critical requirement for an operator to launch Channel Tunnel services competing with Eurostar.
Temple Mills is the only train depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1, the line that runs between London and the tunnel.
Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel since it opened in 1994.
Virgin Trains is planning to launch competing services in 2030.
It will need to gain additional regulatory approvals covering issues such as track access and safety.
Eurostar currently runs trains from London’s St Pancras station to locations such as Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The tunnel is only used at about 50% capacity, despite also accommodating LeShuttle vehicle-carrying trains between Folkestone in Kent and Calais in northern France.
The ORR rejected applications from Evolyn, Gemini Trains and Trenitalia to use the Temple Mills depot.
Eurostar was also unsuccessful in seeking permission to use the site’s spare capacity to grow.
The ORR said: “Virgin Trains’ plans were more financially and operationally robust than those of other applicants, and it provided clear evidence of investor backing and an agreement in principle to deliver the necessary and appropriate rolling stock.”
Martin Jones, the regulator’s deputy director for access and international, said: “With this decision we are backing customer choice and competition in international rail, unlocking up to £700 million 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.”
Virgin Group has not been involved in operating trains in the UK since Virgin Trains’ contract for the West Coast Main Line (WCML) expired in December 2019.
In July, the ORR rejected the company’s application to run open access services on the WCML, serving cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.
