A campaign for international trains to stop at a second station in London is gaining steam after the move was strongly backed by Rail Minister Lord Hendy.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin is already exploring the option of a rail halt in the east of the capital for planned new train services to and from France.
Lord Hendy, a former Transport Commissioner for London, believes using Stratford International could help to drive economic growth in this part of the city.
The peer told The Standard: “Stratford is already a major transport interchange with huge potential to deliver further growth in the local area.
“We believe there are opportunities to support this growth through international services stopping at the station, and we are proactively engaging with all industry partners to try to make this happen.”
Fellow minister Sir Stephen Timms has been campaigning for more than 30 years for international rail services to the capital to stop at both Stratford and another London terminus, which previously was Waterloo.
The MP for East Ham has trumpeted the “commercial opportunity” of an east London international train stop as this part of the city grows rapidly.
Hopes have risen of such a development after Virgin was given track access for new services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030, in a significant step forward for its bid to rival Eurostar.
Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road has given approval for Sir Richard’s company that means it will be able to operate up to 20 new daily return services through the Channel Tunnel.
The 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.
The Virgin Group emphasised that its plans for a new London to continental Europe rail service are “moving at pace”.
A spokeswoman said: “We have 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.”
She 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 rail firm will also consider whether its trains should stop at Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent.
Sir Stephen first raised the prospect of international trains stopping at Stratford when he was chairman of Newham planning committee in the late 1980s.
He has stepped up his calls in recent years for such a development as St Pancras International has struggled to cope with passenger numbers.
The proposed second stop is supported by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which operates the giant Westfield shopping complexes in east and west London.
Social security minister Sir Stephen stressed: “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.”
Sir Richard believes it is “time to end this 30-year monopoly (of Eurostar) and bring some Virgin magic to the cross-Channel route”.
Virgin still has to gain consent to access rail tracks through the Channel Tunnel, which is owned by Eurotunnel.
The company was granted permission last October to share Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot in east London to maintain and store trains.
Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel since it opened in 1994.
