The rail regulator has warned that hopes for three new operators to take on Eurostar in cross-channel high speed train services will not happen unless there is a fundamental rethink on depot capacity.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains, the Italian state railway Trenitalia and Gemini, a disruptor start-up, have announced plans to begin services from London to the Continent to take advantage of spare capacity along the Channel tunnel rail link, now known as HS1, and through the Channel tunnel.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has told potential competitors, however, that they will need to think about how and where they will stable and maintain their rolling stock.
After an inquiry into the market, the ORR has ruled that there would be space for only one extra operator to use the existing high-speed service depot at Temple Mills in east London, owned and run by Eurostar.
In its findings, the ORR said: “Taken together with Eurostar and applicants’ initial plans, the assessment suggests there is room for at most one new operator.”
The regulator said it had taken into account Eurostar’s own stated plans to acquire up to 50 new high-speed trains to expand its services. “ORR now needs Eurostar and applicants to provide the detail of their plans so it can decide on the best allocation of capacity,” it said. It added that it would “work quickly to assess plans, but is ensuring Eurostar and applicants have enough time to present a robust case”.
The regulator expects to be able to reach a conclusion on access to Temple Mills later this year.
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Martin Jones, the ORR’s deputy director overseeing cross-Channel services, said: “The growing appetite to provide international rail services is great news for passengers. We now need operators to set out more detail on their proposals at pace, and will work quickly and as thoroughly as possible to determine the best use of capacity at Temple Mills.”
Eurostar, the French-owned company that has had a 30-year monopoly on cross-Channel services, welcomed the ORR’s findings. “Capacity at Temple Mills is limited and while the ORR report suggests some space could be created it is not sufficient to meet the ambitions of all potential operators plus Eurostar’s own ambitious plans for growth,” a spokesman said.
The company believes that there are plenty of potential alternative sites that can house putative rivals’ operations. “It’s clear a strategic, joined-up approach is needed to unlock the full potential of international rail for passengers and the UK economy,” the spokesman said.
