Branson Urged to Reassess Eurostar Challenger Proposal Amid Rail Minister’s Concerns for Kent Services

Sir Richard Branson has been encouraged to reconsider his strategy to operate trains through the Channel Tunnel, following comments from the rail minister that competing bids to Eurostar must commit to servicing Kent and east London stations.

Virgin Group is among several operators aspiring to challenge Eurostar’s 30-year dominance on the route, but Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill cautioned that proposals focused solely on London St Pancras might not suffice.

At an event in Ashford, Kent, Lord Hendy stated that bidders must demonstrate “the possibility for services to be reintroduced” at Stratford International, Ebbsfleet, and Ashford stations – an action he claimed could contribute £500m annually to the tourism economy.

Eurostar ceased services at Ebbsfleet and Ashford in 2020 and has never operated at Stratford, yet border facilities continue to be available at the Kent stations.

Virgin’s scheme entails direct trains from St Pancras to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam starting in 2030, with potential future extensions into France, Germany, and Switzerland. The Spanish operator Evolyn, in collaboration with Italy’s Trenitalia, has a comparable plan limited to St Pancras.

In contrast, newcomer Gemini Trains – which has formed a marketing partnership with Uber – aims for Stratford to be its London terminus and to include a stop at Ebbsfleet. Its chief executive, Adrian Quine, contended that this approach would provide Gemini access to nearly 20 million people, due to 5,000 parking spaces and connections to the M25 and the new Lower Thames Crossing.

“Virgin is merely imitating Eurostar,” Quine asserted, maintaining that Gemini’s incorporation of Kent stations offered it a significant advantage.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which oversees Channel Tunnel access, is expected to announce by the end of October which operator may utilize limited maintenance capacity at Temple Mills depot in east London. Virgin, Gemini, Evolyn, and Trenitalia are all contenders, alongside Eurostar’s own bid to maintain exclusivity.

Lord Hendy has contacted the ORR emphasizing that its assessment should extend beyond depot logistics to also consider the economic consequences of servicing Kent stations.

Virgin opted not to comment on the minister’s statements.