The Channel Tunnel is such a great invention that it’s almost a wonder they didn’t build it earlier. Thirty years on from its opening, millions of people have enjoyed its convenience and comfort, beginning their holidays/business trips without the stress of an airport. That’s nothing short of a modern miracle.
But if you’re hoping to pop over to France en train, you’re not exactly spoiled for options. You can choose Eurostar or bust, and that is the way it’s been for the past 30 years, but potentially not for much longer.
Virgin operated trains in the UK between 1997-2019, but it was forced to withdraw from the market for a complicated mix of reasons. Now, the operator wants to come back with a bang, and become the first ever Eurostar competitor.
There have been suggestions of another company coming to share the inter-European tracks for a while (including proposals by Deutsche Bahn and Evolyn), but no concrete plans have ever been made and Eurostar has held firm. That was until recently, when Virgin announced plans to start buying up train stock in preparation for their bid, which it reckons could be ready by 2029 if all goes to plan.
There are a couple of roadblocks which could prevent things going ahead so smoothly for Virgin. At the moment there just isn’t very much space in the St Pancras terminal, so even if the Channel Tunnel was happy to license the company as a competitor, it may not be possible until the station is upgraded to support the extra passengers.
Virgin will also have the challenge of getting in before Evolyn, a start-up which has been trying to find their way onto these rails since 2023. It’s likely to be a first come, first served type of deal, so whoever gets their plans in first will probably be awarded the contract.
As of right now, all we can do is wait and see who gets their affairs in order first. That does mean that we are very likely to have an alternative to Eurostar by the end of the decade, potentially meaning more seats and competition for tickets. What a way to ring in the 2030s.
Train travel with Time Out
Loco for locomotives? In other recent news from our railways, Eurostar ticket prices could be more affordable from April, Britain’s busiest train line is getting £3.8 billion of repairs, one of the UK’s busiest train routes is getting 6 million more seats, and this heritage railway is getting a revamp.
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