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Virgin Trains The UK’s first direct train service to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is expected to launch after overcoming the main hurdle in launching international services through the Channel Tunnel.
Sir Richard Branson’s company said it is focused on running trains between London’s St Pancras station and the city centers of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030, but is also in discussions with France’s busiest airport about the possibility of new services there.
On Thursday, regulator Office of Rail and Road (ORR) provided access virgin Trains to share former Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot London Maintenance and storage of trains.
In an interview with the PA news agency, Sir Richard described it as a “big hurdle we had to overcome”, although Virgin Trains will need additional regulatory approval to cover issues such as track access and safety before launching international services.
ORR rejected rival applications from Evoline, Gemini Trains and Trenitalia to use the depot, and Eurostar failed to seek permission to use the site’s spare capacity to develop.
Temple Mills is the only depot accessible by High Speed 1, the line running between London and the Tunnel.
Sir Richard described the regulator’s decision as “fantastic” for Virgin Atlantic, the airline he founded, as it is in partnership with Air France, which is headquartered in Charles de Gaulle.
Virgin Atlantic does not have enough slots at London’s Heathrow Airport to operate short-haul flights in competition with British Airways (BA).
Sir Richard said: “BA will not have trains going to Europe. This will help us competitively.”
Sir Richard, 75, also expressed hope that Virgin Trains will resume services between St Pancras and disneyland paris On limited basis.
He said: “I’d like to go. I was just (thinking) I’d like to bring my grandkids, but by the time we get there, they’ll be bringing me, they’ll be teenagers.
“But still, we should definitely stay at Disneyland for a day or two, even if it’s not a regular service.”
Eurostar ceased serving Disneyland Paris in June 2023 to focus on its main routes.
Asked whether Virgin Trains would offer cheaper tickets than Eurostar, Sir Richard replied: “If you don’t have competition, obviously you will have higher fares all the time.
“If people want to go by train they have no option but to pay whatever fees Eurostar charges.
“If you have competition, fares will inevitably go down.
“If we find seats that need to be sold, we will reduce their cost.”
Eurostar has monopolized passenger services through the tunnel since it opened in 1994.
Sir Richard said: “It’s time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route.”
Despite facilitating trains carrying Lestal vehicles between Folkestone in Kent and Calais in northern France, the tunnel is only used at around 50% capacity.
Virgin Trains plans to run services between St Pancras and the same stations used by Eurostar in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and has “ambitions” to expand “throughout France, and into Germany and Switzerland”.
The company said: “If Ebbsfleet International or Ashford International stations in Kent are reopened, Virgin will stop there, and it is working with Kent County Council and other local stakeholders to explore how to do this.”
Eurostar stopped serving the stations in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Virgin Trains has entered into an agreement with manufacturer Alstom to purchase 12 Avalia Stream trains.
They will be funded by infrastructure investor Equities, it said on Thursday.
Virgin Group will lead the funding of the operating company along with Equitix and private equity firm Azzurra Capital.
Orr said: “Virgin Trains’s plans were financially and operationally stronger than the other applicants, and it provided clear evidence of investor support and an agreement in principle to deliver the necessary and appropriate rolling stock.”
Railway Minister Lord Hendy said depot capacity “should not be a barrier to greater competition and growth”, and the government was “exploring plans” to establish more facilities.
Eurostar said it was “considering our next steps to ensure we can continue to grow”.
Virgin Group is no longer involved in the operation of trains in the UK since the Virgin Trains contract for the West Coast Main Line (WCML) ended in December 2019.
In July, the ORR rejected the company’s application to run open access services on WCML, which serves cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.