Stratford International in east London could be set to justify its title at last, 17 years after the station was opened.
Channel Tunnel trains have never called there, even during the 2012 Olympics, when Eurostar preferred to bring international visitors to St Pancras, from where they could catch a high-speed Javelin train to Stratford International, which was close to the Olympic stadium.
The station was equipped with enough space for customs and immigration procedures and bi-lingual signs, but only domestic services to Kent have ever called.
However, Virgin has now opened the door to the possibility of calling at Stratford, after the Office of Rail and Road granted preliminary approval for a new framework track access agreement through the Channel Tunnel.
Virgin’s agreement with London St Pancras High Speed will allow Virgin Trains to run up to 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040, although it has yet to confirm access rights in France, Belgium or the Netherlands.
Virgin said: ‘Virgin’s ambition extends beyond its initial launch plans and we’ve been actively engaging with stakeholders to explore future expansion.
‘Virgin is looking forward to exploring additional stops, including Stratford International.’
The company is also reported to be considering whether its trains should call at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford, restoring services which were withdrawn as a result of the Covid pandemic in 2020.
Councils in east Kent have launched a public survey seeking support for renewed Eurostar services at Ashford, while allowing Stratford International live up to its name at last has been a long-term ambition of East Ham MP Sir Stephen Timms, who says ‘it’s a big and fast growing commercial opportunity’, which he believes would boost regeneration in east London.
One competing consortium, Gemini Trains, which includes Siemens, Rock Rail and Uber, has already said that it would use Stratford International as its London terminus, although Gemini has failed in its bid to secure access to Temple Mills depot, where space is limited.
Stratford International also has its own DLR station, although this was mainly built to bring people to the Olympic stadium rather than the main line railway.
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