A major milestone has been reached by Virgin Trains in its quest to run international services from London and Paris / Brussels and Amsterdam.

The Office of Rail and Road has pre-approved its framework track access agreement, which is between HS1 Limited and VTE OPCO Limited (Virgin Trains).

This agreement will allow Virgin Trains to operate 20 daily return services between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from the 1st October 2030 and 31st December 2040.

The ORR says that this agreement will bring competition to the international rail market

Before the services can run, Virgin Trains must procure rolling stock, access to other rail networks, and obtain safety approvals from the ORR and authorities in the EU.

Virgin says it plans to begin running trains in 2030.

“This is an important next step in bringing competition and growth to the market for international rail services, and we welcome the progress Virgin Trains and London St Pancras High Speed have made. While there is still more work to do, we are supporting Virgin and the wider industry to grow international services.”

Martin Jones, deputy director, access & international