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Have you heard? Virgin is firmly on track to be the first train operator to challenge Eurostar’s 30-year monopoly on the Channel Tunnel. Back on October, the Office for Rail and Road gave Virgin the green light to use the Temple Mills depot. As the only depot that can be accessed from HS1, permission to use it is crucial for any operator wanting to run trains to Europe.
Now, Virgin is working towards making its services from London to Europe a reality by 2030. And to do that, it needs trains.
The company has signed an exclusive agreement with train manufacturer Alstom to purchase 12 vehicles for its cross-Channel fleet, each one with seven carriages. The model it has chosen is the Avelia Stream, which is apparently ‘state-of-the-art’ and builds upon the design of the Class 390 Pendolino trains that were used by Virgin Trains when it operated on the West Coast Main Line.
We don’t know exactly what the trains will look like just yet. All we have is a render (below) that Virgin shared when its use of the Temple Mill depot was approved, which shows the train decked out in Virgin’s famous red and white colours. Virgin has promised that the new trains will boast ‘improved speed, passenger comfort and energy consumption’. On its website, Alstom says that the Avelia Streams can travel up to 320km/h.
Andrew DeLeone, Alstom Europe Region President said: ‘Virgin and Alstom have a history of driving innovation and change in the rail industry, and delivering for passengers. We are thrilled to partner with Virgin once again for this exciting new venture. This collaboration not only strengthens our longstanding relationship but also reinforces our shared commitment to sustainability, customer experience and technological excellence.’
Virgin still has to jump through quite a lot of hurdles before its services across the Channel can start running. The only thing that is actually confirmed at this stage is that Virgin will be using the Temple Mills International rail depot. The trains still need to be built and tested, and the company still needs to get the green light on things like track access and safety.
If that all goes smoothly, the operator hopes to start running trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam by 2030. Watch this space for updates with more details.
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