Overview
- Virgin published images and service plans on Friday showing it has contracted Alstom for 12 Avelia Stream trainsets and is targeting a launch of 20 daily return services between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030.
- The company has a 30-year maintenance framework with Alstom and a confirmed agreement with Eurostar to use the Temple Mills depot in east London for servicing its fleet.
- Virgin says it has secured UK track access through at least 2040 and expects the new services to add about 7.5 million seats a year and create up to 1,000 jobs.
- The operator plans a Virgin-branded customer experience that borrows from Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses, Virgin Voyages dining and Virgin Hotels design and will link services to the Virgin Red loyalty scheme.
- The move arrives as the Channel Tunnel runs well below capacity and other entrants like FS Italiane are preparing rival services, but timetables, ticketing, border arrangements and final regulatory approvals remain to be settled.