The British start-up Gemini Trains has taken its most deliberate step yet towards launching new Channel Tunnel services, announcing Siemens Mobility as its preferred manufacturer and Rock Rail as its financial partner for a fleet of Velaro Novo trains. 

The move, revealed on 9 October 2025, forms part of Gemini’s plan to introduce cross-Channel services between London in the United Kingdom, Paris in France, Brussels in Belgium and Cologne in Germany, in partnership with Uber. 

Ticketing would be integrated into the Uber app, with trains co-branded accordingly, as the 30-year-old Channel Tunnel market prepares to open to competition for the first time.

The Velaro Novo, presented by Siemens as the next generation of its Velaro high-speed platform, follows earlier models such as Eurostar’s e320 fleet, already certified to operate through the Tunnel. Gemini describes the model as ideally suited to provide a reliable and high-quality service for the new connections.

Rock Rail, which has arranged nearly £6 billion in funding for passenger fleets in the UK and Germany, is expected to structure both equity and debt finance for the Gemini project. According to Gemini, the partnership with Uber, Siemens and Rock Rail represents a significant step towards running regular, competitively priced trains linking the UK with France and continental Europe.

Temple Mills International Depot

However, the plans remain uncertain pending a crucial ruling by the UK’s Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The regulator must decide whether new operators will be granted access to Temple Mills International Depot in East London — the only maintenance site in Britain certified to handle European-gauge high-speed trains. Without depot access, Gemini’s Siemens fleet remains theoretical, and the start-up is not alone in that position.

The announcement closely follows a similar declaration from Virgin Trains in August, which unveiled an exclusivity agreement with Alstom for twelve Avelia Stream trainsets. Virgin, too, stated that its plan was ready to proceed, backed by an estimated £700 million in equity. 

Yet both Virgin’s and Gemini’s statements are widely interpreted as strategic positioning ahead of the ORR’s decision, designed to demonstrate readiness and credibility before access rights are determined.

The ORR is expected to issue its ruling later this month. Current capacity at Temple Mills is thought to be sufficient for at most one additional operator, if any. Even if Gemini or Virgin were successful, it would take several years before any new trains could enter service. 

Designing, manufacturing, certifying and testing rolling stock for Channel Tunnel operations involves complex cross-border safety approvals in the UK, France and the EU.

Trenitalia

While Gemini and Virgin continue to court attention with announcements, Italy’s state-owned FS Group — which operates Trenitalia — appears more advanced in practical terms. FS already runs Frecciarossa 1000 trains in France that are certified for TVM-430 signalling, the system required for both High Speed 1 and the Tunnel itself. With those trains already in operation and another thirty on order, FS has a potential head start if it decides to extend services to London once access issues are resolved.

Yet the forthcoming ORR decision is unlikely to settle the wider debate over how to expand the UK’s high-speed rail links to Europe. 

Eurostar

Eurostar, currently the sole operator through the Tunnel, also intends to expand its own fleet. The company has cautioned that even if its new trains are approved, Temple Mills would still lack the capacity to accommodate additional operators.

The issue underscores a broader structural limitation. Great Britain’s entire cross-Channel high-speed network depends on a single depot, leaving no room for serious competition or growth. 

Industry observers and advocacy groups such as Bring Back Euro Trains have argued that real progress will only come when new maintenance sites are developed at locations such as Stratford or Ebbsfleet. Such facilities, they argue, would allow for multiple operators and unlock the wider potential of High Speed 1, the 109-kilometre line connecting London St. Pancras to the Tunnel.

For now, however, the future of cross-Channel competition remains tied to a single decision — whether the UK’s rail regulator will make room for one or more newcomers at Temple Mills. Until then, the ambitious plans unveiled by Gemini, Virgin and others remain suspended between concept and reality. 

The ORR’s ruling will determine not only who may operate through the Tunnel, but whether Britain is truly prepared to open its high-speed network to continental competition.

More on night trains and transcontinental train travel

• Paris Nightjet axed: France’s withdrawal threatens Europe’s night train revival.
• TRAIN TRAVEL | European Union records 429 billion passenger-kilometres in 2023 but domestic travel still dominates.
• 2026 | Deutsche Bahn plans 4 ICE’s per day between Cologne and Antwerp and 16 per day between Frankfurt and Brussels.
• France opens rail network up for new domestic night train operator under new EU rules.
• Back-on-Track Europe warns the ‘night train revival’ is a false dawn.
• Iron Rhine gets renewed political attention in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
• Spain’s Renfe sends Talgo VI rolling stock to Leo Express in Czechia and Slovakia.
• Leo Express: Bratislava – Ostend night train not a firm commitment.
• NMBS / SNCB sees popularity increase of international train travel.
• ÖBB prioritises Railjet over Nightjet: Is the night train revival a False Dawn?.
• Deutsche Bahn’s Antwerp – Brussels Airport – Leuven – Cologne ICE aims to attract tourists and Port of Antwerp-related business.
• VIDEO | Berlin start-up Nox to launch night trains with entirely private rooms from 2027.
• EUROPEAN SLEEPER | Brussels to Barcelona night train to stop in Avignon, Montpellier, Narbonne, and Girona.
• Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB launch Frecciarossa EuroCity trains linking Berlin, Munich, Milan, Rome and Naples.
• The end of the Brussels – Berlin ÖBB Nightjet.
• REVIEW | European Sleeper night train.
• European Sleeper now “truly” riding to Venice.
• Dutch budget train GoVolta postponed after not getting funds.
• Eurostar scraps direct Amsterdam – Brussels – Marseille summer train service.
• European Commission commits to single-ticket train travel, Back-on-Track unconvinced it will happen.
• Switzerland, Czechia and Belgium top railway network density in Europe.
• SNCF Réseau confirms feasibility European Sleeper night train linking the Netherlands, Belgium, France to Barcelona in Spain.
• Arriva surveys customers for Groningen – Amsterdam – Utrecht – Antwerp – Brussels – Paris train.
• 31 MARCH 2025 | Reopening France – Italy Fréjus Rail Tunnel kickstarts Paris to Milan direct train connection.
• OUIGO ‘slow’ train between Brussels and Paris from 19 December 2024.
• Arriva Tri-Country Train between Maastricht, Liège and Aachen will start on Sunday 9 June 2024 without OV-chipkaart.
• European Sleeper night train service from the Netherlands and Belgium to Barcelona now delayed to 2027.
• EU train travel report sees increase in cross-border passenger trains and easier bookings.
• Brussels to Luxembourg by train under 2 hours by 2030?.
• Eurostar and five more train operators joined the European Agreement on Journey Continuation.
• ÖBB’s new Nightjet sleeper cars accommodate solo travellers with Mini Cabins.
• Trenitalia orders new Hitachi Frecciarossa trains suited for France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
• ÖBB’s Nightjet to connect Berlin to Brussels from December 2023.
• EUROCITY EC-8 | Basel to Cologne in SBB’s Panoramic Car.
• Trenitalia / FS confirms interest in connecting Spain to Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin.
• Sampling NS’ new train and future Benelux rolling stock ICNG.
• REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive.
• RAIL TOUR OF EUROPE | How easy is touring Europe by train?.
• Eight train connections between the Netherlands and Belgium by 2030?.
• REVIEW | ÖBB Nightjet Amsterdam – Zurich night train.
• Nightjet Vienna/Innsbruck to Brussels, or how we got thrown off the train in Aachen.
• Why the expensive ÖBB Nightjet is really not that expensive.
• Reliving the era of the great railway journeys, travelling overnight on Nightjet.
• How we plan a big rail trip.
• Ticket Distribution: the failure of railways to sell themselves.
• To use night trains in Portugal and Spain or not?.
• Night trains in Europe.
• Low-cost, long-haul trains to conquer Europe?.
• Fly now before it’s taxed and consider using the train instead.

Channel Tunnel updates

• Gemini Trains partners with Uber for Stratford to France Channel Tunnel route.
• CHANNEL TUNNEL | UK and Germany renew London-Berlin vows, Virgin Trains promise Alstom Avelia Stream train sets.
• 2025 | The Channel Tunnel prepares for more trains, more competition and new destinations.
• United Kingdom and Germany are aiming for a direct London – Berlin train link.
• Eurostar and St. Pancras Highspeed back major station expansion to double capacity amid growing international demand.
• EUROSTAR | London – Frankfurt, London – Geneva and Amsterdam – Antwerp – Brussels – Geneva from 2030?.
• Alstom wants its double-decker trains to ride through Channel Tunnel.
• CHANNEL TUNNEL | Uber Trains-branded Gemini Trains plan London-Brussels and London-Paris route via Stratford.
• London to Switzerland direct train moves a little closer with new bilateral agreement.
• Eurostar calls for UK national strategy and investment to shape future of Channel Tunnel Rail and promises 50 new trains.
• Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) plan to launch a new high-speed link between London and Paris.
• London St. Pancras Highspeed pledges financial support for cross-Channel rail services.
• Competition for Eurostar? Temple Mills International Depot has space for competitor’s trains.
• London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink aspire to to triple train services to France, Belgium and the Netherlands and add services to Germany and Switzerland.
• Heuro wants to operate high speeds trains between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Paris and London from 2028.