New £500m high-speed trains could compete with Eurostar by 2029

Virgin Group brag and billionaire Sir Richard Branson has reportedly got his oculus connected competing straight with Eurostar aft 'preparing an order' for a twelve high-speed trains

Sir Richard Branson whitethorn soon interruption Eurostar's long-standing monopoly connected the Channel Tunnel, which connects bluish France and England. It has been wide reported that the billionaire's Virgin Group is "preparing an order" for a twelve high-speed trains, successful a woody that is apt to beryllium worthy much than £500 million.

The contention to motion a declaration could assistance Virgin enactment up of its rival Evolyn, a startup with ambitious plans to 'reshape the question experience' with 'international high-speed bid services'. Project pb Phil Whittingham precocious revealed Virgin wants to commencement moving trains done the world's longest undersea passageway arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2029 and has 'shortlisted' imaginable suppliers already.

"We don't judge determination is country for 3 operators connected the route. We don't deliberation the economics would enactment for 3 operators competing," Whittingham told The Telegraph. "The indispensable contented we look is not Eurostar trying to restrict entree but the information that determination is already constricted abstraction disposable astatine St Pancras and Temple Mills to conscionable the combined maturation ambitions of everyone."

It is believed Branson volition instrumentality arsenic 'big an equity involvement arsenic possible' with the task estimated to necessitate a whopping £1 cardinal successful backing to get disconnected the ground. Competition connected the 'Chunnel' could effect successful cheaper fares for passengers, but Virgin isn't acceptable to perpetrate to launching a caller work conscionable yet.

In a connection sent to the Mirror, a Virgin Group Spokesperson said: "It's a immense undertaking to found a caller cross-Channel relation but the way is ripe for change. We deliberation Virgin is the close marque to awesome a caller epoch successful cross-Channel question fixed its award-winning acquisition successful the bid industry, and track-record for shaking-up industries.

"While Virgin is not committing to launching a work conscionable yet, we are delighted with the advancement made truthful far. It's excessively aboriginal to corroborate further details astir the work astatine this stage. For now, our absorption is connected bringing contention to the route, which volition payment each passengers successful the long-term."

The spokesperson added that the 'next logical measurement successful the process' is applying for entree to Temple Mills depot, arsenic this is the lone installation successful the UK presently connected to HS1. "We person been successful speech with Eurostar astir entree for immoderate clip and look guardant to reaching an statement successful owed course," Virgin stated.

Eurostar made it wide it 'welcomed the improvement of obstruction services successful Europe' but was acrophobic astir abstraction astatine Temple Mills already being astatine maximum capacity. "Competition successful the high-speed obstruction assemblage highlights the increasing request for obstruction transport crossed Europe," a Eurostar connection sent to Mirror said. "International obstruction is simply a race, and with our ambition of 30 cardinal passengers by 2030 and plans to put successful up to 50 caller trains, Eurostar is good placed to accelerate the gait of this race."

The institution reiterated that it remains ailment with each requirements and has 'established a process for Temple Mills'. "We are alert of the ORR (Office of Rail and Road) tendering for an autarkic capableness survey - the request for specified a survey has ever been anticipated arsenic portion of our depot exertion process and we volition beryllium blessed to facilitate this," it said. "It is important each parties person a shared knowing of the depot fixed the limitations connected further capableness which beryllium for Eurostar oregon immoderate different operator. The wider contented present is abstraction astatine the depot, which is thing we'll beryllium speaking to the authorities about."

Should tickets connected the Channel Tunnel go much competitive? Have your accidental successful the comments conception below