Clues that Virgin Group plans to challenge Eurostar on Channel Tunnel route

A claim that the Virgin Group plans to challenge Eurostar by operating high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel has been backed up, at least as far as it is sourcing new trains and that they are expected to be capable of running on both UK and international routes.

A Spanish high-speed operator confirmed to The Connexion that it is helping to source high-speed trains for the British multinational.

This follows an initial report in The Daily Telegraph that Virgin Group has set aside £500m for the purchase of 12 high-speed trains capable of operating both in the UK and on European railway lines.

Virgin Group has not confirmed these reports however Spanish operator Evolyn says it is working with the group on a project, presumed to be cross Channel operations.

“At the moment we are developing the project and looking at different possibilities,” an Evolyn spokesperson said. “Unfortunately we are not in a position to give out more information.”

The £500m price Virgin is paying for 12 trains - an average of some £42m per train, is greater than SNCF’s last significant order for TGVs from French company Alstom which was €3bn for 100 trains, an average cost of €25m per train, suggesting that Virgin Group is sourcing trains capable of travel on both UK and European lines.

'A huge undertaking'

In a statement released on January 14, Virgin said that it was “not committing to launching a service just yet”.

“It’s a huge undertaking to establish a new cross-Channel operator but the route is ripe for change.” 

“We think Virgin is the right brand to signal a new era in cross-Channel travel given its award-winning experience in the train industry, and track record for shaking up industries.

“We are delighted with the progress made so far. It’s too early to confirm further details about the service at this stage. For now, our focus is on bringing competition to the route, which will benefit all passengers in the long-term.”

Virgin Group, through its subsidiary Virgin Trains, operated the main UK west country lines from London from 1997 until it lost the concession in 2019.

Channel Tunnel open to competition 

Channel Tunnel operator GetLink told The Connexion in 2024 that it was actively looking for new train companies to use the tunnel, an ambition that managing director Yann Leriche repeated in a TV interview with BFM TV on January 15.

Mr Leriche said the disputes over the price of train tickets between Paris and London on Eurostar, presently €189 one way for a second-class seat booked for the next day, “are not a problem – train passenger numbers have returned to pre-Covid levels, and demand for rail travel at existing prices is high.”

However, he added that more competition would be a good thing for both passengers and GetLink.

High-speed routes expand

Since European high-speed railway lines became open to competition in 2021 two Spanish and Italian companies have started operating in France.

Italian company Trenitalia opened a service between Paris and Milan until a landslide in August 2023 in Maurienne commune in Savoie department closed the line for repairs. These are expected to be completed later this year.

Trenitalia continues to run a Paris to Lyon service, which it extended in December 2024 to serve Alpine skiing resorts.

Read more: Italian train operator Trenitalia to open Paris-Marseille route

Meanwhile, Spanish company Renfe started running trains between Barcelona and Lyon and Madrid -Barcelona-Marseille in 2024.

The SNCF has in turn started operating its low-cost Ouigo trains on routes in Spain, with plans to expand to Italy.

Similarly, Eurostar bought Thalys, the train company which runs between Paris and Brussels, and says it wants to extend its network into Germany.

Read more: Train 'revolution' on its way in France as high-speed market opens to competition

However, the differences in railway systems mean that Eurostar trains which are designed to run between the UK, France and Belgium are not able to operate in Germany, meaning that passengers would have to switch to Thalys or SNCF trains to travel there.

Inside France, a Charente-based company called Le Train, is due to start operating high-speed trains linking Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, Poitiers and Angouleme in 2025.

An independent high-speed rail operator, Proxima, has ordered 12 new trains from Alstom, with the intention of running services from Paris to all the large cities in the west of France from 2028.