Rail regulator opens door to future international train services with Temple Mills access approval for Virgin Trains

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:

Notes to Editors

1. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain’s railways, and monitor of performance and efficiency for England’s strategic road network.
2. Decision letter from ORR to applicants and Eurostar
3. The timeline so far:
   1. ORR received depot access applications from:
      1. Evolyn Mobility Ltd.: 23 August 2024
      2. Virgin Trains Europe Holdings Limited, referred to as Virgin Trains: 23 October 2024
      3. Gemini Trains: 28 February 2025
      4. Trenitalia France: 28 March 2025
   2. ORR also reviewed depot use expansion plans from Eurostar International Ltd: 18 July 2025
   3. Announcement on 28 March 2025: ORR launched a consultation on an independent report from IPEX, commissioned by ORR, which said some capacity could be made available at Temple Mills. The purpose of the consultation was to ascertain whether any stakeholder could provide evidence that would change its findings.
   4. Announcement on 5 June 2025: ORR considered evidence from stakeholders and on 5 June determined that the IPEX report was an accurate reflection of capacity at Temple Mills, saying that there was enough capacity for one additional operator or for Eurostar to grow.  ORR wrote to Eurostar and applicants requesting the necessary detail on their plans to come to a decision on access to Temple Mills. ORR said it would reach a decision by 31 October.
4. Next steps and timeline:
   1. Virgin Trains has said they plan to introduce services in 2030. This is subject to a number of commercial and regulatory processes, including but not limited to:
      1. Securing financing
      2. Securing rolling stock
      3. Track access to HS1
      4. Track access to Eurotunnel
      5. Station access to St Pancras (and other HS1 stations)
      6. Access to heavy maintenance facilities (ORR has powers to direct access for the purposes of light maintenance, heavy maintenance is not covered by the 1993 Railways Act)
      7. Safety certification in UK (including Channel Tunnel)
      8. Rolling stock authorisation in UK (including Channel Tunnel)
      9. Access to track, stations and depots in EU
      10. Safety certification and rolling stock authorisation in EU