AND NOW THERE WERE SEVEN + EUROSTAR

Late last year, on the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel, we still had only one train company running passenger services between London and the continent. 6 months into 2025, we now have at least 7 other possible competitors to Eurostar who are:-

1 Deutsche Bahn – They are the German State Rail Operator. They could probably raise the finance and already use similar trains to the e320s used by Eurostar. They have not given a launch-date for any services.

2 Evolyn/FS Italiane Group – This is a joint venture between a large Spanish coach company and Italian State Railways. They can probably raise the finance and claim that the Trenitalia ETR 400 trains could be adapted for use in the channel tunnel. They plan to start services in January 2029 and have applied to use the depot in Stratford to service 10 trains.

3 Gemini Trains- This is a recently formed new company who plan to run trains from London to Brussels & Paris, with some stopping at Ebbsfleet. It is not clear if they can raise the finance to buy or lease the trains. They have also applied to use the Stratford depot to service their trains.

4 Heuro – This is a new Dutch company which announced plans in 2023 to run up to 15 trains through the tunnel. It is also not clear if they can raise the finance to buy or lease the trains.

5 RENFE – This is the Spanish State Rail Operator, who announced plans to run services through the tunnel in 2021. Although they can probably raise the finance, there are “un-resolved” competition issues which could prevent them running trains within or through France.

6 SBB – Swiss Federal Railways – In May 2025, the UK and Swiss Governments signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” to help develop train services between the UK and Switzerland. While no firm plans have been announced, they probably could raise the finance to buy or lease the trains.

7 Virgin Group – They have announced plans to run frequent cross-channel high-speed services without any specific details. They are seeking partners to help raise the £700 million needed to implement their plans. They have also applied to use the Stratford depot to service their trains.

AND THEN A SURPRISE >>>

Eurostar recently announced their plan to serve Frankfurt & Geneva from the 2030s as “the conditions are finally right for them”. They also plan to order some new trains to replace their older trains and increase their fleet size by 16 in total.

BUT ONLY 4 CAN NOW MOVE ONTO THE NEXT STAGE >>>

Eurostar & the 3 companies who have formally lodged a request to use the Temple Mills Depot will have their case considered by The Office of Road & Rail (ORR). They need to provide ORR with information about their finances and the number of trains they plan to use over a 10-year period. The ORR plan to make a decision as to who can use this depot by the end of October.