Virgin Group will begin operating up to 20 daily high-speed trains between London and major European cities starting October 1, 2030. The service will add nearly 7.5 million seats annually and compete directly with Eurostar on cross-Channel routes.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander condemned East Midlands Railway's service as unacceptable due to problems with the new Aurora trains. Renationalisation is planned for March 2027 with the government aiming for service improvements.