00:00So, Oli, how significant of an announcement is this?
00:04Kristen, this is a big deal.
00:06Eurostar were previously the only operator allowed to run trains through the Eurotunnel to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, from St Pancras
00:16in London.
00:17That's all changed.
00:19The rail regulator, the office of Rail and Road, they've given Virgin Trains the permission to run trains to the
00:26continent.
00:27That's Richard Branson's outfit. They're the new kids on the block.
00:31They've been given permission to run 20 trains a day there and back, all the way through the county.
00:38Now, that doesn't mean they're necessarily going to stop here in Kent,
00:42but it does open up a lot of possibilities for the return of international rail here in Ebbsfleet, but also
00:49in Ashford.
00:49And does it mean that the international rail is going to make a return to Kent?
00:53Because this has been something that's been discussed for a long, long time in the county.
00:58Not in the short term, this means, for example, Virgin can run services to the continent from 2030.
01:05They don't currently have the rolling stock. That's the trains to do so.
01:09They still need to have the train hubs, like Ebbsfleet, where I'm stood right now, open for international rail services.
01:17Same with Ashford. Virgin, I reached out to them today. They told me their position is unchanged on the issue.
01:25If these stations are open to international rail, they will stop here.
01:29But that's not guaranteed. It will require major investment to get them back up and running.
01:36At the moment, Eurostar say they're not interested in stopping here in Kent.
01:41They only want to go to London and then back over to the continent.
01:45So it's a first step, but it's not guaranteed that this will mean trains will stop here in the county.
01:51It's a situation where the monitor very closely.
01:54All right. Thank you so much, Olin.
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