The regulatory appeal, dated August 14, came one day after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) announced the pre-approval of Virgin Trains’ proposed access agreement.
Eurostar International is challenging a decision by HS1 Limited, which operates the 108-kilometer (67-mile) high-speed railway marketed as London St Pancras Highspeed. HS1 has treated access rights requested by VTE OpCo Limited, Virgin Trains’ operating company, as “existing services.”
Eurostar argues that classification is both factually incorrect and unsupported by UK rail regulations.
Dispute centers on priority access
Virgin Trains began its HS1 access process before summer 2026. HS1 contacted Eurostar in June, asking it to submit its own formal access application. Eurostar did so on July 21 for services running from August 17, 2029, through December 2040.
Virgin submitted its application to the ORR for regulatory approval on July 29.
By August 7, HS1 was treating Virgin’s requested train paths as “existing services.” That designation matters because existing services receive protection under the track-allocation system, meaning new applications must be accommodated around them.
Eurostar objected on August 10, arguing that requested capacity should not be treated as already allocated or reserved.
The company says UK rail regulations require capacity to be allocated fairly and without discrimination. It also points out that HS1’s network statement contains no “first come, first served” rule.
Eurostar subsequently filed its regulatory appeal.
Competition is heating up
The dispute comes as competition on international rail services through the Channel Tunnel is opening after decades of Eurostar dominance.
Eurostar has been the only commercial passenger operator through the tunnel since 1994. Other operators are now preparing to enter the market, including Trenitalia France, which has ordered 19 high-speed trains in a reported €2 billion investment and is targeting a Paris-London service from 2029.
Eurostar cites Trenitalia in its appeal as evidence of growing interest in competing cross-Channel services.
ORR decision could shape market
Eurostar is asking the ORR not to treat direct HS1 access requests as acquired rights until a framework access agreement has been approved by the regulator and signed.
It also wants its own application assessed under the same conditions as Virgin’s. Alternatively, it wants the ORR to conduct a full and impartial review of competing applications.
The appeal was signed by Gareth Williams, Eurostar’s secretary general and director of strategic partnerships.
The ORR’s pre-approval of Virgin’s agreement could allow up to 20 daily round trips between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from October 1, 2030, through December 31, 2040.
ORR deputy director for access and international Martin Jones described the approval as an important step toward greater competition in international rail.
The regulator must now decide whether HS1’s approach complies with the rules.
The decision could have implications well beyond Eurostar and Virgin, potentially determining how scarce HS1 capacity is allocated among a growing number of international rail operators.
