Want to book a train to London from Amsterdam? Everyone knows that your only option is to kiss your wallet and book a Eurostar train, but not for much longer.
British billionaire Richard Branson’s company, Virgin Trains, has been given the green light to start running trains between London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris.
And they aren’t starting small, either — you can expect a casual 20 trains every day.
But we have to wait until 2030
The British railway authority ORR has decided it’s time for Eurostar’s monopoly over the Channel Tunnel to end, giving Virgin Trains the right to operate on the tracks between 2030 and 2040.
And while you may think 2030 is a long way away, Virgin Trains is going to need that time to get everything ready. And unless we want a Deutsche Bahn 2.0, we think it’s worth the wait to ensure everything flows smoothly.
According to AD, the company must source new trains (important!), arrange security stamps from European and British Authorities, and gain access to other rail networks.
They aren’t the only ones eyeing the tunnel
However, Branson isn’t the only one who wants to give Eurostar something to sweat about. Other train companies are also trying to gain access to the lucrative Channel Tunnel.
From 2029, French company Trenitalia wants to run no fewer than 10 journeys per day through the tunnel. And start-ups such as Evolyn and Gemini Trains also want to throw their hats in the ring by 2029.
Let’s just hope all this competition will result in train tickets not costing the equivalent of a flight to Vietnam.
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