The British group Virgin has received permission to use railway lines to organize new cross-border trains that will start running from 2030, bringing closer the launch of a competing service against Eurostar.
The British group Virgin has received permission to use railway lines to organize new cross-border trains that will start running from 2030, bringing closer the launch of a competing service against Eurostar.
The UK rail regulator announced on Monday that this agreement will allow Virgin Trains to operate up to twenty daily return journeys between London and Paris, as well as between Brussels and Amsterdam, from October 1, 2030, until the end of 2040. This was stated by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Virgin intends to change the situation in the market for transcontinental rail transport, challenging Eurostar, which has held a monopoly on passenger transport through the tunnel connecting the UK and France since its opening in 1994.
Martin Jones, Deputy Director of Access and International Affairs at the ORR, noted that this is 'an important next step in introducing competition and growth into the international rail services market.' He added that despite the need for further work, the ORR supports Virgin and the industry as a whole in developing international services.
Before the services can begin operation, Virgin must acquire rolling stock for the route, gain access to other rail networks, and undergo safety approval procedures from British and European authorities. Last year, Virgin gained access to the Temple Mills International facility for train maintenance and storage, which is a critical condition for an operator wishing to launch its services.
Although the tunnel's capacity remains around fifty percent, previous proposals for creating a new service on this line faced obstacles, including regulatory issues and limited station capacity. Passengers hope that the arrival of competition will lead to lower ticket prices, which can often be more expensive than flights between Paris and London.
Several companies have announced plans to launch competing services through the tunnel. For example, the Italian company Trenitalia plans to start its competing service by 2029. Meanwhile, Eurostar reported that it transported a record 20 million passengers last year.
Food delivery aggregator Swiggy announced on Monday the launch of its AI assistant named 'Guru' for its restaurant partners. This tool is designed to track payments and monitor the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
The assistant is available to 270 thousand restaurants in over 720 cities. Swiggy reported that the menu analysis features in 'Guru' allow partners to add items, create descriptions, and highlight the most popular products, providing personalized data based on the analysis of category performance and best practices.
Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy Food Marketplace, noted that artificial intelligence has changed business methods and increases efficiency across all industries. He added that, having collaborated with restaurants for over 12 years, the company understands the daily operational requirements and the need for constant execution of multiple tasks faced by partners.
Eight construction workers discovered gold coins and bars totaling $10.5 million (169 million Roman francs) in Belgium last Tuesday during work, officials reported.
The gold find was made beneath the building undergoing renovation in the town of Dendermonde, located approximately 19 miles northwest of Brussels.
The discovery was made by Kob Philips, a student working part-time on the construction site. He told Belgian broadcaster VTM: 'I thought they were one-euro coins neatly laid out in a row. We dug them up, and then we saw a small gold bar lying there, already attached to our pickaxe. In fact, there was a bit more than we expected.'
After the discovery, the workers contacted the property owner, who then called the police, according to VTM's Face. The Eastern Flanders prosecutor's office informed CNN that the police were called due to the significant value of the find, and the gold is currently being kept in a 'secure and guarded location.'
Face specified that some of the gold bars are marked with dates from the 1960s, while the sovereign coins feature different monarchs and dates.
This find has already led to potential claimants. Face noted: 'We already have citizens who want to claim the gold, having various documents proving they are descendants.'
A police investigation is currently underway to determine if there are any criminal aspects to the case.
