General · 30 October 2025
Virgin Trains Wins Historic Approval to Challenge Eurostar's 30-Year Channel Tunnel Monopoly
The Office of Rail and Road has approved Virgin Trains' application to access London's Temple Mills depot, ending Eurostar's three-decade monopoly on Channel Tunnel passenger services. Virgin plans to launch competing services from London St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam by 2030, with ambitions for future expansion into Germany and Switzerland. The approval marks the first major challenge to Eurostar since Channel Tunnel services began in 1994.
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