Here's what Virgin's Eurostar alternative trains will look like
It's red versus blue
The Eurostar is pretty much synonymous with the Channel Tunnel for most folks, but that’s about to change thanks to Virgin. And now we know what that future looks like.
Virgin has shown off rendered mock-ups of what its cross-Channel trains will look like, bearing of course plenty of the brand’s signature red.
12 of these Avelia Stream trains have been ordered for Virgin’s upcoming rail services, and they’re capable of reaching speeds of up to 300km per hour — 186mph if that’s more your speed.
The concept of these trains’ interiors will also be a little different to what you’ll have experienced if you’ve taken the Eurostar before.
Virgin wants to introduce more relaxation and social spaces to these trains, apparently inspired by the lounges on Virgin Atlantic flights. Granted, these typically boil down to a small-ish sofa area in the space between toilets in one of Virgin’s great big airplanes.
Still, it’s better than Virgin simply copy-pasting what Eurostar already offers.
“Virgin has a proud history in UK rail. With our latest venture we are drawing on more than four decades of experience across travel and hospitality to create something genuinely new,” says Josh Bayliss, CEO of VIrgin Group.
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Details of Virgin’s plans in this area have slowly dipped out over the last few years. But big moves are finally happening.
Back in August, Virgin got the green light from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) regulator to run services from London to European destinations including Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels. It has also secured a deal for train storage, while the agreements mean Virgin can potentially start these Eurostar-rival routes from 2030.
It will be able to run up to 20 services a day. This is roughly around half the number of collective services Eurostar runs at peak periods.
Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.
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