Last week, operators of the Channel Tunnel, Eurotunnel, reportedly claimed that Virgin could be one of a list of rail companies looking to take on Eurostar on high-speed European services. However, Virgin has since denied this. In the past, Virgin has examined the viability of such a challenge in terms of commercial value and on practical grounds. A Virgin spokesman said the market is just not commercially big enough. In 2009, Eurostar carried 9.2 million passengers under the Channel.

In practical terms, Virgin has also ruled the venture out for the time being because it would mean purchasing the right rolling stock; employing new people who spoke a number of languages and setting up operations to deal with customs. The spokesman said these factors meant that international rail services were… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on October 27th, 2010