Virgin Trains is getting closer to turning into a serious competitor to rail company Eurostar. The company signed an agreement with French rail manufacturer Alstom to purchase 12 next-generation high-speed trains. It is part of its bid to challenge Eurostar on cross-Channel routes starting in 2030.
Virgin’s plan envisions direct services from London St. Pancras to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. It also indicated to have long-term ambitions to expand deeper into France, Germany, and Switzerland. The project will be led by Phil Whittingham, former chief executive of Virgin Trains UK.
The company says it is currently the only applicant with both financing and rolling stock locked in. The venture is expected to cost roughly £700 million, structured with Virgin holding a 50% stake alongside two unnamed institutional investors. Two different entities would manage day-to-day operations as well as the rolling stock.
Virgin Trains is not the only one to look at competing with Eurostar on the London- Continental Europe rail routes. Competition for access to the Channel Tunnel is heating up with proposals from Italy’s state-owned Trenitalia and UK start-up Gemini.
Writing in The Times, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said his goal is to introduce genuine competition and raise service levels: “For too long, passengers have had no choice and even less joy. We’re not here to copy. We’re here to raise standards, spark innovation, and give people a better way to travel.”
If approved, Virgin’s entry would then represent the most serious challenge to Eurostar’s monopoly on cross-Channel passenger services since its launch in 1994.
