Eurostar has launched an appeal over the decision to grant Virgin Trains access to the UK section of the cross-channel rail line.
Virgin received approval from the UK Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to operate cross-channel rail services to compete with Eurostar last week.
Eurostar has lodged an official appeal with ORR over this decision, alleging that the process was not transparent, unfair and discriminatory.
In its appeal, Eurostar claimed that the approval unlawfully reserved capacity for Virgin Trains while withholding the same capacity from other applicants, including Eurostar and other new operators.
Amsterdam-Berlin trains to be rerouted
Trains from Amsterdam to Berlin will be rerouted via Hamburg from October due to long-term construction work between Hanover and Berlin.
The new route will add an hour to the journey and the service will be reduced from five to four daily departures.
The rerouted ICE train services will run directly from Amsterdam Centraal and make designated stops at Hamburg-Harburg and Hamburg-Bergedorf before continuing to Berlin.
From mid-December, the new route to Berlin will also include a stop in Bremen, taking around seven hours in total. The route is expected to remain in place until at least the end of next year.
