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Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group has levelled serious accusations against Eurostar, claiming the rail operator is deliberately obstructing competition on cross-Channel services. The dispute centres on access to the crucial Temple Mills depot in east London, the sole UK facility capable of housing and maintaining high-speed cross-Channel trains.
The controversy echoes the infamous ‘dirty tricks’ saga of the 1990s between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Virgin Group contends that Eurostar is artificially inflating its space requirements at the Department for Transport-owned depot, which contains eight ‘covered roads’ for light maintenance work.
Virgin’s formal complaint to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) suggests Eurostar has strategically relocated heavy maintenance operations to Temple Mills, creating an artificial capacity constraint. Industry sources close to Virgin argue Eurostar requires merely three maintenance roads for efficient operations, not the eight currently claimed.
The British transport giant’s frustrations extend beyond depot access. Virgin criticises Eurostar’s limited network expansion, noting only Amsterdam has been added to the original Paris and Brussels routes in three decades of operation. The monopoly operator faces additional scrutiny over apparent disparities in regulatory compliance regarding new train storage.
Eurostar maintains its position, citing record passenger numbers and a €2 billion investment in 50 new trains. The company emphasises infrastructure constraints at St Pancras and Temple Mills as genuine limiting factors for industry growth, rather than anti-competitive behaviour.
The dispute emerges as Virgin seeks a co-investor for its cross-Channel venture, with Wall Street’s Perella Weinberg managing the process. The transport sector awaits the ORR’s determination, which could reshape the landscape of European rail travel and potentially end Eurostar’s 30-year monopoly.
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