REG - Office of Rail&Road Virgin Group - ORR approves Virgin Trains TMI depot access

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RNS Number : 3857F  Office of Rail and Road  30 October 2025

Rail regulator opens door to future international train services with Temple Mills access approval for Virgin Trains

Rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), has today (Thursday 30
October) approved Virgin Trains' application for access to Temple Mills
International depot (https://www.orr.gov.uk/media/27666) . Access to Temple
Mills is an important first step towards being able to operate cross border
train services using the channel tunnel.

This decision unlocks plans for around £700mn of investment in new services
and the creation of 400 new jobs, in a win for passengers, customer choice,
and economic growth. Virgin Trains can now be confident it will have access to
the light maintenance facilities it needs to run its planned international
services.

ORR set out its decision to approve Virgin Trains' application, and reject
applications from Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia, in a decision letter today.
Informed by independent analysis, and having also considered Eurostar's growth
plans, the regulator considers that Virgin Trains has the strongest prospects
of making the best use of capacity at Temple Mills.

Overall, Virgin Trains' plans were more financially and operationally robust
than those of other applicants, and it provided clear evidence of investor
backing and an agreement in principle to deliver the necessary and appropriate
rolling stock.

ORR carefully weighed its legal duties to reach this decision, including
considering the views of stakeholders and the economic benefits of the
plans.

Many stakeholders wrote to ORR to welcome the prospect of competition on the
High Speed 1 line, which is expected to increase choice for passengers, and
many also wrote concerning the reopening of stations in Kent. ORR's decision
today however strictly concerns access to Temple Mills; it does not, and ORR
cannot, require Virgin Trains to run specific services or stop them from
changing what destinations they plan to serve.

There are a number of steps before new international services will be able to
run. Virgin Trains will now need to enter into a commercial agreement with
Eurostar, as the operator of Temple Mills, and must secure finance, access to
track and stations, and safety approvals from ORR and the relevant authorities
in the EU. Virgin Trains plans to begin running services in 2030.

Martin Jones, Deputy Director, Access and International, said: "With this
decision we are backing customer choice and competition in international rail,
unlocking up to £700mn in private sector investment and stimulating growth.
While there is still some way to go before the first new services can run, we
stand ready to work with Virgin Trains as their plans develop."

 

Notes to editor

1.   The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and
safety regulator for Britain's railways, and monitor of performance and
efficiency for England's strategic road network.

2.   Decision letter from ORR to applicants and Eurostar
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/media/27666) and Depot access applications and
decisions page
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/rail-guidance-compliance/network-access/station-depot/depot-applications-decisions)

3.   The timeline so far:

a.   ORR received depot access applications from:

i.    Evolyn Mobility Ltd.: 23 August 2024

ii.    Virgin Trains Europe Holdings Limited, referred to as Virgin Trains:
23 October 2024

iii.   Gemini Trains: 28 February 2025

iv.   Trenitalia France: 28 March 2025

b.   ORR also reviewed depot use expansion plans from Eurostar International
Ltd: 18 July 2025

c.   Announcement on 28 March 2025
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/rail-regulator-says-some-capacity-can-be-made-available-eurostar-depot)
: ORR launched a consultation on an independent report from IPEX, commissioned
by ORR, which said some capacity could be made available at Temple Mills. The
purpose of the consultation was to ascertain whether any stakeholder could
provide evidence that would change its findings.

d.   Announcement on 5 June 2025
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/more-cross-channel-rail-services-coming-down-track)
: ORR considered evidence from stakeholders and on 5 June determined that the
IPEX report was an accurate reflection of capacity at Temple Mills, saying
that there was enough capacity for one additional operator or for Eurostar to
grow.  ORR wrote to Eurostar and applicants requesting the necessary detail
on their plans to come to a decision on access to Temple Mills. ORR said it
would reach a decision by 31 October.

4.   Next steps and timeline:

a.   Virgin Trains has said they plan to introduce services in 2030. This is
subject to a number of commercial and regulatory processes, including but not
limited to:

i.    Securing financing

ii.    Securing rolling stock

iii.   Track access to HS1

iv.   Track access to Eurotunnel

v.   Station access to St Pancras (and other HS1 stations)

vi.  Access to heavy maintenance facilities (ORR has powers to direct access
for the purposes of light maintenance, heavy maintenance is not covered by the
1993 Railways Act)

vii.  Safety certification in UK (including Channel Tunnel)

viii. Rolling stock authorisation in UK (including Channel Tunnel)

ix.  Access to track, stations and depots in EU

x.   Safety certification and rolling stock authorisation in EU

 

 

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