Rail Regulator Approves Eurostar Rival for UK-Continent Routes
The approval clears a key regulatory hurdle, but Virgin still needs safety sign-off and network access before launching services, officials said.
- On Monday, the Office of Rail and Road granted Virgin Trains track access to run up to 20 daily return services between London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam from October 1, 2030, through 2040.
- Eurostar has held a passenger monopoly through the Channel Tunnel since 1994; Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, previously pledged to "end this 30-year monopoly" and bring competition to the route.
- Despite approval, Virgin must still procure rolling stock and obtain safety approvals from British and European Union authorities, with the ORR noting there is "still more work to do."
- Uncertainty surrounds funding for upgrades at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet, as Virgin has stated it does not want to pay for improvements, while Trenitalia and Gemini Trains are planning competing services.
- The Channel Tunnel operates at about 50 percent capacity, and with Eurostar transporting a record 20 million passengers last year, competition from multiple new operators positions the market for significant growth.
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British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Trains is close to a return to rail, with regulators giving it preliminary approval to build a high-speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel, from where it could continue to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030, breaking Eurostar's more than 30-year monopoly.
The arrival of rail competition in the Channel Tunnel could cause prices to drop sharply. This is the expectation of Emeritus Professor of Transport Policy Bert van Wee of TU Delft. From 2030, the British government will allow Virgin Trains to operate twenty return journeys through the tunnel between London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, giving the Eurostar competition on the route.
(London=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Ji-yeon = Virgin Trains, a subsidiary of the British Virgin Group, is one step closer to operating a railway through the English Channel undersea tunnel connecting the UK and the European continent...
Virgin receives track access to launch Eurostar rival in 2030
British group Virgin received high-speed rail access through the Channel Tunnel, an element needed to launch a rival service to Eurostar, which has held a monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel since 1994.
The UK Railway and Road Office (ORR) has given the green light...
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