Oct. 30 (UPI) — Virgin Trains has inched closer to the ability to run rail service through Europe’s English Channel after a government regulator signed-off on Virgin’s application.
Sir Richard Branson’s train line got approved by the British office of Rail and Road to share depot stations with Eurostar.
“While there is still some way to go before the first new services can run, we stand ready to work with Virgin Trains as their plans develop,” Martin Jones, the ORR’s deputy director of access and international, told the BBC Thursday.
Eurostar has held a monopoly on the tunnel since its 1994 opening. It could mean a return of Virgin Trains since its 2019 departure after it lost a contract to Avanati West Coast.
“The ORR’s decision is the right one for consumers — it’s time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route,” said Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.
Sir Richard Branson pictured kneeling Oct. 2018 next to his star during his unveiling with the 2,647th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, Calif. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
“Virgin is no stranger to delivering award-winning rail services, and just as we have successfully challenged incumbents in air, cruise and rail, we’re ready to do it again,” added Branson.
According to Eurostar officials, the the company was reviewing the ORR decision and “considering our next steps to ensure we can continue to grow.”
“Our priority is to deliver for passengers the benefits of the investments in a new fleet, jobs, and depot facilities that we recently announced,” stated a Eurostar spokesperson.
Virgin, which previously operated rail lines from London to Scotland, plans to join Eurostar with rail service from London’s St. Pancras station to other European hot spots like Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Germany and Switzerland by 2030.
Branson’s Virgin Group won a 2023 lawsuit against a Florida train company.
His Virgin Atlantic airline declared bankruptcy in 2020. And another Branson company, satellite launch company Virgin Orbit, declared bankruptcy in April 2023.
“We’re going to shake up the cross-channel route for good and give consumers the choice they deserve,” according to Britain’s Branson.
