Virgin Group poised to announce challenger to Eurostar after key hurdle overcome
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Eurostar rival gets ‘green signal’ for Channel Tunnel trains
- Virgin Group is poised to challenge Eurostar with its own passenger train through the Channel Tunnel.
- A key regulatory hurdle has been overcome with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirming the potential availability of capacity at Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot.
- Access to this depot was a major obstacle for potential Eurostar competitors and Virgin has hailed the news as a “green signal”.
- Virgin aims to launch its cross-Channel rail service soon. It says the move will “unlock competition on the cross-Channel route for the benefit of all passengers”.
- Eurostar currently holds a monopoly on passenger services through the Channel Tunnel.