Virgin offers first glimpse of new cross-Channel service planned from 2030
posted on 9th Oct 2026 07:31
Virgin has offered a first glimpse of its plans to reimagine cross-Channel travel, releasing a new image of a striking black and red train and sharing some early clues about what customers can expect on board. Under a landmark agreement with Alstom, spanning the delivery of 12 trains, Virgin will operate a fleet of Avelia Streams capable of travelling at speeds of up to 300 km/h, with customised interiors designed for cross-Channel travel.
Virgin plans to introduce 20 daily return services between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030, adding almost 7.5 million seats to the cross-Channel route per year and creating up to 1,000 new jobs; boosting tourism and business travel, and supporting local economies. The company is promising that a trip through the Channel Tunnel will be something passengers can look forward to just as much as reaching their destination.
Virgin’s ambition is to bring the outstanding customer experience it is known for around the world to cross-Channel rail. It will draw on a proven playbook shared across more than 40 Virgin businesses, which together delight 45 million customers worldwide.
Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouses will help inspire pre-departure and onboard social spaces, giving passengers more flexibility to work, relax or socialise in style. Virgin Voyages’ award-winning onboard dining will influence the food and drink offer, while Virgin Hotels’ focus on comfort and design will help inform the development of seating and onboard spaces. Virgin’s loyalty platform, Virgin Red, will make journeys more rewarding, allowing passengers to earn Virgin Points and spend them on future journeys, flights, hotel stays, cruises and experiences.
Most importantly, Virgin’s people will be given the freedom to show passengers a great time and create memorable moments throughout the journey. Every design detail and customer touchpoint will be carefully considered and unmistakably Virgin, with accessibility built in from the outset. Virgin will also draw on its 20 years of operating Virgin Trains in the UK as it develops the new cross-Channel passenger experience.
Josh Bayliss, CEO of Virgin Group, said: “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. This time, we’ll be connecting London with some of Europe’s greatest cities and giving passengers a distinctive new choice in cross-Channel travel. Virgin has always thrived on challenging the status quo and aimed to provide our customers with a great experience.
We’ll bring the same approach to the cross-Channel route, making the journey something to look forward to as much as the destination. We’re confident that more journeys between the UK and Europe will be made by train. We’re adding capacity for millions more international rail journeys each year, growing the market as a whole. We’re looking forward to seeing our distinctive red and black trains travelling across Europe.”
As both the train supplier and fleet maintainer, Alstom will support Virgin throughout the full lifecycle 30 years of the project - from delivery into service through to long-term operations - helping to ensure a reliable, high-quality service for decades to come.
Virgin will also explore how its rail and airline networks could work more closely together, making it easier for international customers arriving in London with Virgin Atlantic to continue to France and other European destinations, while connecting passengers from France into Virgin Atlantic’s global network.
Virgin has signed an agreement with Eurostar to maintain its trains at the Temple Mills International depot in east London and is the only prospective new operator through the Channel Tunnel to have secured track access in the UK - with its access confirmed until at least 2040. Further details about Virgin’s proposed services, trains and customer experience will be shared in the coming months.
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