Virgin Trains is officially launching direct routes from London to Europe: destinations, launch date and everything you need to know

We all love the Eurostar, but what if there were more ways to get to Europe via the Channel Tunnel? After years of rumours, a new cross-Channel operator now looks set to become a reality: the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved Virgin’s plan to run a parallel service. Eurostar has been the only passenger operator on the route since it launched in 1994, so this is massive news. 

This isn’t the only recent big Eurostar competitor update. Last week it was revealed that Italy’s state-owned railway Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) had ordered 19 high-speed trains for the London-France route. While Virgin will share the Temple Mills depot with Eurostar, FS Group is getting around that by building an €80 million facility near Paris. 

Here’s what we know so far about Virgin’s cross-Channel routes, from the destinations and launch date to how much tickets could cost. 

Where will the new Virgin Trains go?

The ORR’s approval means that Virgin can eye up direct trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Plans are afoot for up to 20 trains a day.

Branson has also suggested there are plans to expand into ‘further across France, and into Germany and Switzerland’.

When is the official Virgin Trains launch date?

Virgin’s agreement with the ORR kicks in on October 1, 2030 – which gives you plenty of time to choose your destination. That agreement runs until the end of 2040.

Which UK stations will the trains run from?

At the moment, Virgin is focused on London St Pancras, giving Eurostar a run for its money. Branson, all guns blazing, said last year that it’s ‘time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route’.

The ORR, in a more sober reflection, noted that bringing new services into the station would ‘demand more robust operational working’ but suggested that this shouldn’t stand in the way of the plans.

Virgin has previously suggested that other UK stations could also get cross-Channel trains, like Kent hubs Ashford and Ebbsfleet. 

What will the new trains look like? 

Back in January, we reported that Virgin had agreed to acquire 12 trainsets from train manufacturer Alstom.

The chosen model, the Avelia Stream, is based on the Class 390 Pendolino that Virgin operated on its West Coast line (but it won’t tilt). Each one will have seven carriages and, according to a mock-up that the company shared, the exteriors will be decked out in the Virgin red and white.

What does this mean for Eurostar and ticket prices?

Branson hasn’t been shy about expressing his plan to ‘shake up the cross-Channel route’. Prices haven’t yet been confirmed, but he has also said: ‘If you have competition, then fares will inevitably come down. If we’ve got seats that need selling, we will reduce the cost of them.’

So that seems pretty clear! For its part, Eurostar has reacted to the news by acknowledging ‘the huge potential for growth in international rail and the ambition across the industry to bring more passengers to Europe by train’, adding:

‘Eurostar will play a full part in that growth, and our focus remains on delivering our own ambitious plans, investing in our fleet and carrying 30 million passengers a year.’

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