The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has stated that Eurostar’s London depot at Temple Mills International could accommodate additional trains if required. This follows the publication of an independent report commissioned by the regulator to assess the facility’s capacity.
The report indicates that additional capacity could be made available, subject to modifications in operational and maintenance arrangements. It also suggests that changes to infrastructure may be necessary to facilitate access to extra space and enable more trains to be maintained and stabled at the site.
This extra capacity could open up the cross-Channel line to competition, resulting in a greater choice of services and fares for passengers.
Ben Plowden, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said:This announcement means that competition on High Speed 1 has been given the green light – opening the door for more services to a wider variety of destinations across Europe. Passengers will be delighted to hear this news. Much of the great potential of the Channel Tunnel is currently untapped, so while there are further hurdles to clear, we are very glad that the reality of new services is closer than ever.
ORR commissioned the study in response to increasing interest in expanding services between St Pancras International and continental Europe. Industry stakeholders have identified access to a suitable maintenance and storage facility near London as a key requirement for additional operators to enter the market.
Most recently, a new train operating company, Gemini, announced plans to provide competitive fares and frequent high-speed rail services between the UK and continental Europe. Virgin Group also plans to operate cross-channel services, thanks to the available capacity.
Andrew Meaney, Partner at Oxera, and adviser to Gemini Trains said:Gemini welcomes that the ORR's transparent process has determined there is available capacity at Temple Mills International depot and we look forward to working with them as they use their duties to allocate this capacity.
Following the report’s publication, ORR has invited stakeholders to submit evidence that may support or challenge its initial findings. The deadline for submissions is 28 April, after which the regulator will review responses before issuing its final conclusions.
A Virgin Group spokesperson commented:Finally a green signal for competition. The Temple Mills depot is the only facility in the UK which can accommodate European-style trains and claims suggesting it was at capacity have been blocking Virgin from coming to the line.
Virgin is therefore very pleased with the outcome and we thank the ORR for commissioning this report, which will now unlock competition on the cross-Channel route for the benefit of all passengers.
There are no more major hurdles to overcome, and Virgin is ready to take up the challenge, given its award-winning experience in the train industry and track-record for building globally successful travel brands. We expect to be able to make an announcement very soon. Watch this space!
Eurostar has also issued a response to this announcement.
