Eurostar's three-decade monopoly over the Channel Tunnel is about to end, with several train operators competing to launch rival services from London to Europe. As it stands, Italy's state-owned railway company appears to be leading the race.
FS Group takes the lead
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) is currently winning the race to launch its own London to Paris route by 2029. The company found a way around using train storage facilities in the UK, historically a major stumbling block, and has submitted a £1.7 billion order for 19 high-speed trains.
Those trains will be the core fleet for the group's London to Paris route, scheduled to launch in 2029. The company sees it becoming the 'Metro of Europe'.
Virgin clears regulatory hurdle
Virgin Trains, Richard Branson's rail company, is aiming to launch its own service in 2030. Last week, it moved closer to that goal with the granting of track access by the rail regulator to enable it to run services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Virgin has cleared a big regulatory hurdle, but the access only covers the HS1 route. The company still needs to secure the same for the Channel Tunnel and rail networks in mainland Europe. Branson has previously declared: 'We're going to shake-up the cross-Channel route for good and give consumers the choice they deserve'.
Gemini Trains and Evolyn in the mix
Gemini Trains is hoping to launch rival services to Cologne as early as 2030, and to Paris and Brussels after that. The company, chaired by Lord Berkeley, 85, a veteran railway engineer and Labour minister, has said they will deliver 10 high-speed trains for services to Europe.
Evolyn, a Spanish start-up, promised a new service from London to Paris back in 2023. The company bought 12 trains from French manufacturer Alstom for its new high-speed route, and promised to launch direct services by 2026. There was also talk of extending routes to Germany and Switzerland, but there hasn't been much on any of that since.
