Virgin Group has released the first image of the high-speed train it plans to run through the Channel Tunnel and said it intends to operate 20 daily return services between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030.
The company said the services would add almost 7.5 million seats a year to the route and create up to 1,000 jobs. Eurostar is currently the only passenger operator through the tunnel.
Virgin has signed an agreement with Alstom, the French rail group, to supply 12 Avelia Stream trainsets capable of speeds of up to 300km/h, with interiors customised for the route. Alstom will also service the fleet under a 30-year maintenance contract.
The agreement follows the exclusive deal for 12 Alstom trains that Virgin disclosed in August 2025. The image released by the company shows a train in black and red livery.
Virgin said it had signed an agreement with Eurostar to maintain its trains at the Temple Mills International depot in east London. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which approved Virgin’s depot access application on 30 October 2025, has published the signed agreement.
In that decision the regulator rejected rival applications from Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia, and Virgin was cleared to use the east London depot that Eurostar operates.
Virgin also said it is the only prospective new operator through the Channel Tunnel to have secured track access in the UK, confirmed until at least 2040.
The ORR decided on 13 August to pre-approve a framework track access agreement between Virgin Trains and London St Pancras Highspeed. The regulator said the agreement allows up to 20 new daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040.
The ORR said at the time that Virgin Trains must still procure rolling stock, secure access to other rail networks and obtain safety approvals from the regulator and the relevant authorities in the EU before services can run.
Virgin said it would draw on its other travel businesses to design the service. Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouses will help to shape pre-departure and on-board social spaces, Virgin Voyages’ dining will influence the food and drink, and Virgin Hotels’ approach to comfort and design will inform the seating.
The company said accessibility would be built in from the outset and that it would draw on its 20 years of operating Virgin Trains in the UK.
Virgin Red, the group’s loyalty scheme, will be extended to rail. Passengers will be able to earn Virgin Points and spend them on future journeys, flights, hotel stays, cruises and experiences, the company said.
Virgin said it would also explore closer links between its rail and airline networks. The aim is to make it easier for passengers arriving in London on Virgin Atlantic flights to continue to France and other European destinations, and to connect passengers from France into the airline’s global network.
Josh Bayliss, chief executive of Virgin Group, said: “We’re confident that more journeys between the UK and Europe will be made by train. We’re adding capacity for millions more international rail journeys each year, growing the market as a whole.”
Andrew DeLeone, Europe region president at Alstom, said: “Across Europe, passengers are increasingly looking for more seamless cross-border high-speed rail connections, and this project will help deliver exactly that.”
No fares, timetables or classes of travel have been announced. Virgin said it would give further details of its timetable, trains and customer experience in the coming months.
