Rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), has today (Thursday 30 October) approved Virgin Trains’ application for access to Temple Mills International depot. Access to Temple Mills is an important first step towards being able to operate cross border train services using the channel tunnel.
This decision unlocks plans for around £700mn of investment in new services and the creation of 400 new jobs, in a win for passengers, customer choice, and economic growth. Virgin Trains can now be confident it will have access to the light maintenance facilities it needs to run its planned international services.
ORR set out its decision to approve Virgin Trains’ application, and reject applications from Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia, in a decision letter today. Informed by independent analysis, and having also considered Eurostar’s growth plans, the regulator considers that Virgin Trains has the strongest prospects of making the best use of capacity at Temple Mills.
Overall, Virgin Trains’ plans were more financially and operationally robust than those of other applicants, and it provided clear evidence of investor backing and an agreement in principle to deliver the necessary and appropriate rolling stock.
ORR carefully weighed its legal duties to reach this decision, including considering the views of stakeholders and the economic benefits of the plans.
Many stakeholders wrote to ORR to welcome the prospect of competition on the High Speed 1 line, which is expected to increase choice for passengers, and many also wrote concerning the reopening of stations in Kent. ORR’s decision today however strictly concerns access to Temple Mills; it does not, and ORR cannot, require Virgin Trains to run specific services or stop them from changing what destinations they plan to serve.
There are a number of steps before new international services will be able to run. Virgin Trains will now need to enter into a commercial agreement with Eurostar, as the operator of Temple Mills, and must secure finance, access to track and stations, and safety approvals from ORR and the relevant authorities in the EU. Virgin Trains plans to begin running services in 2030.
Martin Jones, Deputy Director, Access and International, said: “With this decision we are backing customer choice and competition in international rail, unlocking up to £700mn in private sector investment and stimulating growth. 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.”
Image credit: ORR
