'Win for passengers' as Virgin clears first step to run Channel Tunnel trains to rival Eurostar

Virgin has cleared the archetypal measurement successful its program to motorboat a rival Eurostar service.

The company, owned by billionaire Sir Richard Branson, has been granted entree to stock Eurostar's Temple Mill planetary depot successful eastbound London.

The decision, by the obstruction regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), is an important archetypal measurement towards operating cross-border bid services via the Channel Tunnel.

Sir Richard has described it arsenic "the large hurdle that we had to get through" successful the process. Access to the depot means Virgin tin support and store trains.

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Additional regulatory approvals are necessary, however, and Virgin Trains volition necessitate way entree and a information go-ahead earlier it tin commencement planetary services.

The institution says it wants to tally trains betwixt London's St Pancras presumption and the metropolis centres of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam successful 2030.

It's besides successful discussions with France's busiest airport, Charles de Gaulle, astir moving trains there. Sir Richard said helium hoped to recommence occasional services betwixt London and Disneyland Paris.

There are "ambitions" to grow "further crossed France, and into Germany and Switzerland".

Eurostar stopped moving nonstop trains to the taxable parkland successful 2023.

Other bid operators had sought entree to the depot and were denied. Eurostar, who presently tally services, had sought to grow its entree but was turned down.

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The ORR said the announcement was a triumph for passengers, lawsuit choice, and economical growth.

"Virgin Trains' plans were much financially and operationally robust than those of different applicants, and it provided wide grounds of capitalist backing and an statement successful rule to present the indispensable and due rolling stock," it added.

This contention volition bring down prices, Sir Richard said.

Passenger obstruction services connected the high-speed enactment person been a monopoly since it opened successful 1994.

The passageway is lone utilized astatine astir 50% capacity, contempt accommodating the LeShuttle vehicle-carrying trains betwixt Folkestone successful Kent and Calais successful bluish France.