Virgin Trains moves closer to launch of cross-Channel rail services

30 October 2025

Virgin Trains has taken a step closer to launching international services from the UK to Europe via the Channel Tunnel from 2030, ending Eurostar’s monopoly.

The UK rail regulator, ORR, has granted the company access to the Temple Mills depot in London for train maintenance and storage.

“This access is an essential first step towards Virgin operating cross-border rail services via the Channel Tunnel” as it will give the company access to essential light maintenance facilities, the ORR said on Thursday.

Virgin will still need to obtain additional regulatory approvals covering issues such as track access and safety.

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Temple Mills is the only railway depot accessible from the HS1 high-speed line that connects London to the Channel Tunnel. Italy’s Trenitalia, Spain’s Evolyn and Britain’s Gemini had also applied for access but were rejected, the ORR said on Thursday, adding that it had preferred Virgin to Eurostar’s proposals to increase its own frequency on cross-Channel routes.

“With this decision we are backing customer choice and competition in international rail," said ORR spokesperson Martin Jones. "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."

"This access is an essential first step towards Virgin operating cross-border rail services via the Channel Tunnel"

Eurostar, which is partly owned by the Belgian railway company SNCB/NMBS, has had a monopoly on passenger services since the tunnel opened in 1994. It says it is reviewing the decision. "We are considering the measures that need to be taken to continue our growth," it said in response to the ruling.

Virgin’s owner, billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, has pledged to “shake up the cross-Channel route”.

Eurotunnel, the company that manages the Channel Tunnel, is seeking to attract new operators, believing that the infrastructure is capable of handling up to 1,000 trains a day, compared with 400 currently, made up of Eurostar passenger trains, Le Shuttle vehicle trains and freight.

^{The Temple Mills train depot in East London, 27 October 2025 © PHOTO YELIM LEE / AFP}

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