The end of the Eurostar monopoly. Virgin Trains is entering the game for the route through the English Channel

The end of Eurostar's monopoly on passenger rail services through the Channel Tunnel is coming. Virgin Trains received approval from the British rail regulator on Thursday to use the locomotive depot in London for trains on this route.

The Temple Mills locomotive depot in east London is the only one in the UK accessible to high-speed trains, serving the High Speed ​​1 line between London and the tunnel entrance. Currently, the only user of the locomotive depot is Eurostar, which has had a monopoly on cross-Channel services since the opening of the tunnel in 1994.

On Thursday, the UK's Office of Rail and Roads (ORR) announced it had approved Virgin Train's application to use Temple Mills and rejected applications from three other carriers.

Virgin Trains plans to start services through the Channel Tunnel in 2030. Initially, Virgin Trains trains will run from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord, Brussels-Midi and Amsterdam Centraal, i.e. to the same stations served by Eurostar, but in the future the airline wants to expand its network of connections to other stations in France, Germany and Switzerland.

The carrier, owned by the Virgin conglomerate founded by Richard Branson, will still need to obtain a number of other permits before launching the connections, but consent to use Temple Mills was crucial for taking further steps.

– ORR's decision is good for consumers, it's time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the Channel route – commented Branson. (PAP)

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