Stratford International could become a new hub for European rail travel, as Virgin Trains considers stopping in East London when it launches its new cross-Channel services to rival Eurostar.
According to the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Virgin will be allowed to operate up to 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from October 2030, potentially ending Eurostar’s monopoly since 1994. The proposed timetable for Paris initially sees six return services per day, increasing to 10 from April 2031 and 13 from October 2031.
Following the ORR’s decision, there are talks of Virgin’s new international services stopping at Stratford International as well as the usual Eurostar stop at St Pancras International. Sir Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, has welcomed the possibility of international trains stopping in East London, as it would promote regeneration in the area. Virgin Trains has plans to invest £700m in the project and create hundreds of jobs in the UK, including skilled jobs at the Temple Mills depot in East London.
The MP has previously called for more rail services to stop at Stratford International. Responding to his calls for Virgin to consider a stop in East London, a spokeswoman for Virgin Trains said: “We have recently been awarded track access on London St Pancras Highspeed and will be bringing investment and new skilled jobs to the Temple Mills depot in East London.” She added: “Virgin is looking forward to exploring additional stops, including Stratford International.”
Virgin is not quite ready to hit the rails yet, as the company still has to secure access to rail tracks through the Channel Tunnel (owned by Eurotunnel) and European rail networks, as well as obtain the necessary safety approvals. If everything goes to plan, Virgin intends to launch services from London to Paris in October 2030, with Brussels and Amsterdam also forming part of its planned European network.