Plans to connect UK to new European cities via high speed trains get green light

is to soon have a rival as new direct, high-speed train services from through Europe have been given the green light to run through the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar is currently the sole provider connecting the UK to by rail but this will soon end as the final major barrier to routing new services through the Channel Tunnel was officially removed.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group said there are "no more major hurdles to overcome" before it can begin operating passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel following an announcement by the rail regulator. The group told passengers to "watch this space" and to "expect an announcement soon". A report released on April 1 by the UK's Office For Rail and Road (ORR) found that Eurostar's East London depot in Leyton has capacity to store potential trains from other operators.

The regulator said: "Eurostar's London depot would be able, if required, to accommodate additional trains."

It added: "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 and maintained there."

This opens the door for the UK to service a host of new cities across Europe including Cologne, Lyon, Frankfurt, Geneva and cities south of Paris.

The company owned by the billionaire entrepreneur could also take passengers to Marseille and Zurich, many could be reached in five hours or less, these speedy journey's may end Eurostar's monopoly in running passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994.

Eurostar saw a record number of passengers in 2024, with a total of 19.5 million customers.

However, travelling on Eurostar is often much more expensive than it is to fly to Paris, especially if you book a ticket during peak times. Last year it was named Europe's worst-performing train operator, scoring low for reliability and price.

A Virgin Group spokesperson said: "Finally a green signal for competition. 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."

Virgin Group was the majority owner of Virgin Trains when it ran domestic services on the West Coast Main Line from 1997 to 2019.

Richard Thorp, chief operating officer at London St Pancras Highspeed, which owns St Pancras and the HS1 high-speed track, welcomed the ORR ruling.

Mr Thorp said: "The depot was always intended to be a shared facility and it's positive that some of this spare capacity can be accessed without any changes and further capacity can be unlocked through targeted upgrades and operational changes."

Eurostar added that it is "willing to invest once again in new maintenance capacity" and "other operators should consider investing in the system as well".