Sir Richard Branson has been pressed to reconsider Virgin’s plans to run trains through the Channel Tunnel after the rail minister warned that new operators must commit to serving stations in Kent and east London.
Virgin Group is one of several companies seeking to challenge Eurostar’s 30-year dominance of cross-Channel routes. However, Rail Minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill said this week that proposals focusing exclusively on London St Pancras station would fall short of expectations.
Speaking at an event in Ashford, Kent, Lord Hendy said rival bidders should demonstrate “the potential for services to be reinstated” at Stratford International, Ebbsfleet and Ashford. He argued that restoring stops at these stations could deliver up to £500 million a year to the visitor economy.
Eurostar withdrew services from Ebbsfleet and Ashford in 2020 during the pandemic and has never served Stratford, though border facilities remain in place at the Kent stations.
Virgin’s current blueprint would see direct services running from St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030, with the potential to expand further into France, Germany and Switzerland at a later stage. Spanish newcomer Evolyn, working in partnership with Trenitalia, has submitted a similar plan centred on St Pancras.
In contrast, Gemini Trains – a new entrant which has partnered with Uber on marketing – has pledged to make Stratford its London hub and to serve Ebbsfleet. Chief executive Adrian Quine said this approach would give Gemini a catchment area of nearly 20 million people, supported by 5,000 parking spaces, motorway connections and proximity to the new Lower Thames Crossing.
“Virgin’s application appears to mirror Eurostar’s,” Quine said. “Our inclusion of Kent stations provides a decisive edge in terms of accessibility and growth potential.”
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which oversees access to the Channel Tunnel, is expected to decide by the end of October which operators will be granted rights to use limited maintenance facilities at the Temple Mills depot in east London. The competition includes Virgin, Gemini, Evolyn, Trenitalia and Eurostar itself, which is seeking to maintain its exclusive control.
Lord Hendy has written to the regulator emphasising that its decision should go beyond depot logistics and also reflect the wider economic benefits of serving Kent.
Virgin declined to comment on the minister’s remarks.
If successful, the winning bidder could reshape the cross-Channel market for the first time in three decades, ending Eurostar’s monopoly and potentially boosting international rail travel from the UK.
