Transport companies hoping to compete with Eurostar on train routes from London to continental Europe have been given a boost.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which regulates the UK’s railways, said that Eurostar’s London train depot at Temple Mills would be able to accommodate additional trains “if required” following the publication of an independent report.
Virgin Group, which is one of the companies hoping to compete against Eurostar, said the move represented “a green signal for competition”. Access to a suitable depot in London is seen as being crucial for any new international train operators.
The ORR said that changes to the “operational and maintenance arrangements” at the depot, as well as possible alterations to its infrastructure, would be needed to allow more trains to use the facility.
The report into the feasibility of using the depot for competing train companies was commissioned by the ORR because of “growing interest” in providing more services between London’s St Pancras station and mainland Europe.
