The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has written to Eurostar and other new applicants seeking to operate cross-channel rail services, outlining the next steps for assigning access to the vital Temple Mills International (TMI) depot. Access to TMI is widely considered crucial for providing rail services from the UK to continental Europe.
Earlier this year, following access applications from several potential operators, the rail regulator commissioned an independent assessment of capacity at TMI. The ORR’s initial findings indicated that some capacity is available at TMI for additional trains without immediate changes to current practices. Furthermore, the assessment suggested that further capacity could be delivered through targeted investment.
The ORR subsequently provided all stakeholders, including the incumbent operator Eurostar, with an opportunity to submit evidence that would either challenge or support the independent report’s findings. Having now reviewed this evidence, the ORR has concluded that the independent assessment accurately reflects the available capacity at TMI. When considered alongside the initial plans put forward by both Eurostar and the new applicants, the assessment suggests there is room for at most one new operator, or for Eurostar to expand its existing services.
The ORR now requires Eurostar and the applicants to provide detailed proposals for their plans, enabling the regulator to determine the most effective allocation of this capacity. The ORR aims to assess these plans swiftly but is ensuring that Eurostar and the applicants have sufficient time to present a robust case. The regulator anticipates reaching a conclusion on access to TMI later this year.
In line with its legal duties, the ORR will consider directing access, making its decision based on its established approach for resolving competing demands for rail capacity. This process will involve a comprehensive consideration of several key factors:
- Availability of capacity
- How proposed services will impact operational performance
- Financial and operational readiness and viability of the applicants
- Economic and societal benefits associated with the applications
- Views of all relevant stakeholders
Martin Jones, Deputy Director, Access and International at the ORR, stated: “The growing appetite to provide international rail services is great news for passengers. We now need operators to set out more detail on their proposals at pace, and will work quickly and as thoroughly as possible to determine the best use of capacity at Temple Mills.”
- Letter to Eurostar and new applicants on the Section 17 process for access to Temple Mills International depot
- Consultation IPEX capacity report, and responses
ORR has set out the below timeline for considering applications and directing access to TMI, but this timeline is subject to receiving prompt representations from Eurostar and applicants:
- Invite representations from all applicants, Eurostar and interested persons/parties with a wider interest – to be received by 3 July 2025
- Invite replies to initial representations – to be received by 31 July 2025
- ORR to consider all representations, consider if further clarifications are required, and assess applications – by 30 September 2025
- ORR to issue access decisions – by 31 October 2025
