Eurostar Says It Wants Competition. So Why Is It Fighting Virgin?

Eurostar says it supports competition through the Channel Tunnel. It has now appealed Virgin Trains’ latest HS1 access win, as both operators compete for limited capacity at Temple Mills, St Pancras and on Britain’s high-speed railway.

On 13 August, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) pre-approved a framework agreement that would allow Virgin to run up to 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam. The rights would run from October 2030 until the end of 2040. Virgin and London St Pancras Highspeed can sign the agreement by 4 September.

Eurostar has challenged that decision. According to The Times, the company described the process as "secretive and unfair" and accused London St Pancras Highspeed of giving Virgin preferential treatment when future capacity was allocated. Eurostar says it supports new competitors, but wants the same capacity to be offered through an open process.

Virgin has rejected the complaint. Travelling for Business reports that Virgin called the appeal "regrettable, predictable and … without merit", while ORR said it considered its decision appropriate. The dispute is now about who gets physical space on the British side of the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar Appeals Virgin’s Latest HS1 Win

The August decision gives Virgin access rights on HS1, the high-speed railway between London and the Channel Tunnel, following another decision from October 2025, when ORR gave Virgin access to Temple Mills International depot in east London.

Eurostar’s complaint concerns the way the latest HS1 capacity was allocated. Trade publication TravelMole reports that London St Pancras Highspeed treated Virgin’s proposed paths as existing services when it considered later applications. Eurostar argues that future trains which do not yet operate should not receive that protection.

Eurostar had submitted its own application for future HS1 capacity on 21 July. Virgin sent its agreement to ORR for approval eight days later. Eurostar says HS1’s published rules contain no first-come, first-served system that would automatically put Virgin ahead.

The appeal does not change Eurostar’s public position on competition. In earlier submissions to ORR, the operator said it expected other companies to enter the market and supported competition where access was allocated fairly.

Virgin Has Temple Mills and HS1, but Not the Full Route

Virgin has now cleared two of the largest obstacles in Britain. The first is Temple Mills. Four potential competitors applied for depot access: Virgin, Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia France. Eurostar also wanted more capacity there for its own expansion.

In June 2025, ORR concluded that Temple Mills had enough spare capacity for one additional operator or for Eurostar to expand, but not for all of the plans submitted. In October, the regulator selected Virgin, saying Virgin had presented the strongest financial and operational case and rejected the applications from Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia.

The second win is HS1. Virgin can now secure a long-term framework for up to 20 daily return services from 2030.

RAILTARGET compared the two ORR decisions. Virgin has won access to the only suitable British light-maintenance depot and pre-approval for the high-speed railway into London, but it has not yet secured the complete route to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam.

ORR still lists several steps before passenger trains can start. Virgin needs Channel Tunnel access, station access at St Pancras, heavy-maintenance arrangements, safety certification and rolling-stock approval in Britain. It also needs access and approvals on the continental networks it plans to use.

Temple Mills and St Pancras Are the Scarce Parts

The Channel Tunnel was built for more rail traffic than it currently carries. Eurotunnel reserves up to half of the tunnel’s hourly capacity for railway undertakings, including high-speed passenger and freight trains. Getlink is actively trying to attract more operators and even offers incentives for new cross-Channel services. Its latest corporate documents say the tunnel and connecting infrastructure were designed to handle more than 20 million high-speed passengers a year, almost twice the historic level.

The British end is more complicated. Temple Mills is the only UK depot currently equipped for the light maintenance needed by international high-speed trains using HS1. ORR’s independent capacity work found some additional space, but not enough for every company that wants to use it.

St Pancras has a different limitations. International passengers have to pass through security and British and French border controls before boarding. The station owner has been working on an expansion that would raise international processing capacity from around 1,800 passengers per hour towards 5,000. The plans should to make room for more trains and at least one additional operator.

HS1 itself has more room. London St Pancras Highspeed has previously said the line has around 50% spare capacity. The problem is not just finding a path through the tunnel. A new operator also needs somewhere to maintain its trains, process its passengers and fit those trains into the timetable at the London end.

RAILTARGET reported on the Temple Mills capacity dispute in April 2025. At that point Virgin was still one of several challengers trying to prove that Eurostar’s depot could accommodate another operator.

Eurostar Needs the Same Capacity for Its Own Expansion

Eurostar needs more capacity itself. In October 2025, the company announced a EUR 2 billion investment in up to 50 new double-deck trains. Thirty Eurostar Celestia units are on order from Alstom, with options for another 20. The company wants to increase annual traffic to 30 million passengers and add direct services to Frankfurt and Geneva.

The new trains are expected to offer around 20% more seats than Eurostar’s current fleet. The first commercial services are planned for May 2031. Eurostar also plans to maintain its entire fleet at Temple Mills. It expects to spend around EUR 80 million developing the depot for the new trains.

The dates overlap almost exactly with Virgin’s plans. Virgin’s HS1 rights would begin in October 2030. Eurostar’s new fleet starts arriving in 2031, which is why the Temple Mills decision mattered so much. ORR chose between giving limited spare capacity to a new operator and reserving it for the incumbent’s own growth.

In October 2025, the regulator chose Virgin. Eurostar has argued for additional international maintenance facilities instead of forcing every operator into Temple Mills. Its concern is that allocating scarce infrastructure before those alternatives exist could restrict its own expansion.

Trenitalia Is Still Planning London–Paris for 2029

Virgin is also not the only company trying to enter the market. Italy’s FS Group still plans a Paris–London service from 2029, one year before Virgin’s proposed launch. On 7 August, Trenitalia France confirmed an order for 19 Hitachi high-speed trains. The programme is worth around EUR 2 billion and includes trains intended for future London services.

Trenitalia is also building its own maintenance facility at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour near Paris. The project will cost around EUR 80 million and is expected to open by the end of 2029. FS says the depot will support its planned Paris–London trains.

That gives Trenitalia another option for maintenance, although it still needs the British and Channel Tunnel access required to operate the route.

Gemini is also interested in cross-Channel services and has been looking at maintenance alternatives after losing the Temple Mills decision.