Sir Richard Branson's Virgin to 'explore' stopping trains to France at Stratford in east London

Senior London MP Sir Stephen Timms has been pushing for international rail services to the capital to stop at both Stratford International and St Pancras International. The MP for East Ham highlighted the “commercial opportunity” of such a move as east London becomes an increasingly thriving part of the city.He also stressed that continental services stopping at Stratford International would boost regeneration in east London.Sir Richard Branson at St Pancras International stationVirgin Trains/PA WireThe agreement covers the period between October 1 2030 to December 31 2040 and relates to tracks owned and run by London St Pancras High Speed.Sir Stephen, minister for social security and disability, told The Standard: “I welcome the prospect of new operators. “One of them, Gemini, has been very clear in it's commitment to stopping at Stratford. “I would urge Virgin to stop at Stratford too.”He added: “It's a big and fast growing commercial opportunity. “International services at Stratford will, in turn, promote regeneration in East London.”East Ham MP Sir Stephen TimmsPA MediaResponding to his comments, the Virgin Group stressed that its plans for a new London to continental Europe rail service were “moving at pace”. A spokeswoman said: ““We have recently been awarded track access on London St Pancras Highspeed and will be bringing investment and new skilled jobs to the Temple Mills depot in East London.”Read MoreShe stressed further: “Virgin’s ambition extends beyond its initial launch plans and we’ve been actively engaging with stakeholders to explore future expansion. “Virgin is looking forward to exploring additional stops, including Stratford International.”The company will also consider whether its trains should stop at Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent.Sir Stephen first proposed international trains stopping at Stratford when he was chairman of Newham planning committee in the late 1980s. The Temple Mills International train depot in east LondonAFP/GettySir Richard previously said it was “time to end this 30-year monopoly (of Eurostar) and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route”.Virgin will still has to secure approval to access rail tracks through the Channel Tunnel, which links southern England and northern France and is owned by Eurotunnel.But it means the company has passed another key regulatory hurdle towards starting the international services, after being granted access last October to share Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot in east London to maintain and store trains.Temple Mills is the only depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1, the line that runs between London and the tunnel.Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel since it opened in 1994.