Overview

• The ORR will decide by the end of October which operator—one new entrant or Eurostar—secures the spare Temple Mills depot slots after an independent review found room for only one additional service.
• Contenders vying for the depot capacity include Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Italy’s FS Italiane Group via Trenitalia, and disruptor start-up Gemini Trains.
• Bidders must obtain French regulatory approval, secure access to the High Speed 1 line, and procure suitable rolling stock before launching Channel Tunnel services.
• Eurostar has applied for extra capacity and is investing in up to 50 new trains along with facility upgrades at Temple Mills and London St Pancras International.
• Getlink, the Channel Tunnel owner, sees potential for new routes linking London with destinations such as Bordeaux, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille and Zurich.