Virgin and two other firms bid to end Eurostar monopoly with new Channel Tunnel service

A third operator aiming to challenge Eurostar's exclusive control of Channel Tunnel services has emerged.

Gemini revealed on Monday that it had lodged a request with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for access rights to Eurostar's Temple Mills depot—the sole facility in the UK equipped to accommodate and maintain high-speed trains bound for the continent, as reported by City AM.

Initially, Gemini plans to run services between London and Paris/Brussels, though it is also considering routes to additional destinations.

Chaired by industry stalwart Lord Tony Berkeley, the firm boasts of having assembled a "highly experienced team of rail executives and creative thinkers" dedicated to delivering open access services on the coveted cross-channel route.

Since the Channel Tunnel's inauguration in 1994, Eurostar has enjoyed uncontested access; however, several potential competitors promising competitive pricing and more frequent journeys have recently made bids for access.

Prominent amongst these is Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Evolyn, a Spanish enterprise endorsed by Mobico's principal investor, both of whom have presented their own requests to the ORR.

The interest in this route appears substantial, with rumours suggesting at least five enterprises are eyeing opportunities, while the Channel Tunnel's managing entity Getlink has expressed its desire to see unused capacity utilised.

"Our team has real strength, depth, vision and dynamism and is superbly placed to offer customers choice on what is currently a monopoly route," noted Gemini Chairman Lord Berkeley.

Chief executive Adrian Quine commented: "The high-speed line connecting London and the continent through the Channel Tunnel is one of the great rail routes."