Fleet plans revealed for planned 20 daily return services
Virgin has signed a deal for 12 Alstom trainsets
Virgin has taken a decisive step in its bid to launch new international rail services between London and mainland Europe by securing binding exclusivity with Alstom for the supply of 12 new high-speed trains.
The deal, confirmed in a submission to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), will see Alstom deliver 200-metre-long Avelia Stream trainsets designed for operation across Britain, the Channel Tunnel, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The supply contract is expected to be finalised before the end of 2025, with deliveries from 2030
“More than two years in the making, here are Virgin’s plans outlining how it will bring competition to cross-Channel rail – as now really is the time to give customers the service they deserve,” said Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson in a foreword to the ORR. “It’s time to end a 30-year monopoly and it’s time to bring joy back to the journey from a brand with more than 20 years’ experience in the rail industry.”
Virgin’s operating company, VTE Holdings, has set out a funding requirement of around £700m. Under a dual OpCo-AssetCo structure, Virgin will hold a 50% stake in the operating company, with two undisclosed institutional investors owning the remainder. One of these investors will provide 100% of the equity for the rolling stock asset company, which will lease the trains back to the operator.
Letters of support from the lenders indicate more than three times the required debt finance has already been pledged, with financial close targeted for late 2025.
According to its submission, Virgin plans to run 20 daily return services from London, 13 to Paris, four to Brussels and three to Amsterdam, with a phased launch reaching full service within six months of the 2030 start date. Longer-term ambitions include services deeper into France, Germany and Switzerland.
Branson added: “Just as Virgin has successfully challenged incumbents in air, cruise and of course rail, we’re ready to do it again. We will shake up the cross-Channel market with our signature approach, delivering a service that is innovative, bold and unmistakably Virgin.”
Access to Temple Mills International depot in east London remains essential in Virgin’s view. It has confirmed it requires stabling for nine trainsets overnight and limited daytime use in case of disruption, with depot access needed from 2028 to prepare for launch.
If approved, Virgin would become the only challenger to Eurostar’s 30-year dominance of cross-Channel passenger rail, but new entrants Evolyn and Gemini are also competing for capacity through the Channel Tunnel.
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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