"The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approved the application to use the Temple Mills depot in Leyton, which is used for maintaining and storing trains. It said this would unlock 700m of investment in new services and create 400 jobs. Access to Temple Mills is a critical step in helping Virgin Trains challenge the monopoly held by Eurostar, which has been the only passenger service allowed to access the Channel tunnel since it opened in 1994."
"The billionaire entrepreneur said: The ORR's decision is the right one for consumers it's time to end this 30-year monopoly and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route. Virgin is no stranger to delivering award-winning rail services, and just as we have successfully challenged incumbents in air, cruise and rail, we're ready to do it again. We're going to shake up the cross-Channel route for good and give consumers the choice they deserve."
"Temple Mills is the only train depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1, the line that runs between London and the tunnel. The depot will give Virgin trains access to the light maintenance facilities it needs to run international services to the European mainland. While Virgin still needs to secure additional regulatory approvals covering issues such as track access and safety, regulatory approval brings Branson one step closer to launching his plan to run services competing with Eurostar in 2030."
The ORR approved Virgin Trains' application to use Temple Mills depot in Leyton for maintaining and storing trains. The approval is expected to unlock 700m of investment in new services and create 400 jobs. Temple Mills is the only depot accessible from High Speed 1 and will provide light maintenance facilities required for international services to the European mainland. Eurostar has been the sole passenger operator through the Channel tunnel since 1994 and currently runs from St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Virgin still requires further approvals on track access and safety and aims to begin competing by 2030.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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