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Virgin Trains has made a significant step towards running international services, because the Office of Rail and Road has given preliminary approval for a new framework track access agreement through the Channel Tunnel.

The move may spark serious competition on international services from London, because Trenitalia has announced plans to launch trains from London to the continent in 2029, while Eurostar also has expansion plans.

Virgin’s agreement with London St Pancras High Speed will allow Virgin Trains to run up to 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040, although so many additional trains may place pressure on platform capacity in London, where there are only six international platforms.

The ORR said the agreement supported economic growth and provided ‘significant benefits’ for passengers travelling between London and continental Europe.

Virgin Trains and London St Pancras High Speed may now enter into the full agreement by 4 September this year.

There are a number of steps before the new services will be able to run. Virgin Trains must also procure rolling stock, secure access to other rail networks, and obtain safety approvals from the ORR and the relevant authorities in the EU.

The ORR’s deputy director for access and international Martin Jones said: ‘This is an important next step in bringing competition and growth to the market for international rail services, and we welcome the progress Virgin Trains and London St Pancras High Speed have made. While there is still more work to do, we are supporting Virgin and the wider industry to grow international services.’

Meanwhile, the Italian operator Trenitalia has already unveiled plans to launch services between London and Paris in 2029.

Trenitalia said it has ordered 19 high speed trains from Hitachi, with an investment of €2 billion which will also cover long-term maintenance.

Trenitalia will also run between Paris and Lyon, Marseille and Milan.

Readers’ comments

What we need is more destinations, such as Geneva, Cologne and Frankfurt, not just more trains between London and Paris. Gerry, London


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