British company Virgin Group's £700million fundraising drive for a “high frequency” train service between London, Paris and Brussels has received a boost after the UK rail operator said it can use Eurostar's train depots.
Virgin Group aims to become the first ever competitor to Eurostar by 2029 but had been caught up in a row over the use of Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot in north-east London.
British law says that trains have to be serviced to UK standards on British soil, but Eurostar said the depot is full and if Virgin wants to use the tunnel, it would have to build its own London depot – adding hundreds of millions of pounds to the cost.
However, in a ruling published on March 31, the UK's Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said Eurostar had to share the depot.
“Eurostar’s London depot would be able, if required, to accommodate additional trains,” the ORR announced. "Changes to operational and maintenance arrangements at the depot, as well as possible alterations to infrastructure, would be required to access extra capacity and allow more trains to be stabled/maintained there.”
'No more major hurdles'
"Finally a green signal for competition," said Virgin Group in a statement. "The Temple Mills depot is the only facility in the UK which can accommodate European-style trains and claims suggesting it was at capacity have been blocking Virgin from coming to the line."
“Virgin is therefore very pleased with the outcome and we thank the ORR for commissioning this report, which will now unlock competition on the cross-Channel route for the benefit of all passengers.
“There are no more major hurdles to overcome, and Virgin is ready to take up the challenge, given its award-winning experience in the train industry and track record for building globally successful travel brands."
“We expect to be able to make an announcement very soon. Watch this space.”
Growing competition
Following the ruling, Eurostar said it was prepared to invest in new depot capacity, as long as other companies do too.
FS Italiane Group also confirmed to The Connexion that it would be prepared to invest in Temple Mills if others did the same.
The Italian operator is also emerging as a potential rival to Eurostar, with a projected 2029 start date.
The operator already runs services between Paris/Lyon and Milan, and has the concession for the UK’s west coast railways. Some €1billion has been set aside for investment in Europe, with the UK a substantial part of this.
A spokesperson for the company said that it intends to run Trenitalia trains through the Chunnel, using their existing trains which they will adapt for use in the UK.
Separately, in a bid to encourage competition to Eurostar, ORR forced a lowering of the tolls paid by rail companies to use the lines between London and the Channel Tunnel.
Eurostar has long faced criticism for its high prices – in early April a one-way ticket for next day travel between Paris and London cost €218.
Read more: Italy’s state railway announces plans to compete with Eurostar on France-UK route
It has signed a memorandum of understanding with Spanish company Evolyn to potentially develop a partnership.
Evolyn, said in 2023 it would buy 12 trains from French trainmaker Alstom to use on the London to Paris route,
Virgin said it was “in discussions” with various train makers to see if it can buy enough train sets, able to run on British, French and German lines, to offer a European service.
A record year in crossings
Eurostar reported a record year in 2024, with 19.5 million passengers travelling on its trains, many of them to the Paris Olympics.
“This is further proof of the huge demand for international rail travel and the great potential of sustainable travel,” the company’s CEO Gwendoline Cazenave, said.
“Eurostar is targeting growth to 30 million passengers a year and investing in up to 50 new trains as a direct result, with the aim of delivering a unique and exceptional service long into the future.”
Read more: What is the best way to travel between London and Paris?
Campaigns for more stations
It has also been criticised for abandoning stops in Kent, at Ashford and Ebbsfleet since the 2020 Covid lockdowns.
There are presently two campaigns, Bring Back Euro Trains, run by local volunteers, and Bring Back Eurostar, run by local councils, trying to get Kent stops restored.
The Euro Trains group includes an online petition, launched in March 2023, which had 63,793 signatures in early April 2025.
Read more: Richard Branson aims to raise €800m to rival Eurostar in UK-France train link
The Bring Back Eurostar campaign has received the support of UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said in parliament that businesses in Kent had been “badly let down,” by the previous Conservative government which did not push for the stations to be re-opened.
Eurostar told The Connexion: “Our Kent stations will remain closed throughout 2025 and will be reviewed in 2026.
“We understand that this might be frustrating, and we want to stress that we are closely monitoring the situation, and, should there be any changes, we will provide an update.
“We recognise the importance of these stations to local communities, and we remain fully committed to the future of rail connectivity and continue to work transparently with local councils and stakeholders.
“For now our focus remains on our core stations and preparing for border changes under the EU’s new Entry-Exit system.”
Getlink and London St Pancras Highspeed, which runs St Pancras station and the lines between London and the Channel Tunnel, signed a “memorandum of understanding,” with each promising to promote the growth of high-speed rail between London and Europe.
Getlink also budgeted €50 million for the period 2025-2030 to support train operators wanting to use the Channel Tunnel.
