Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group has stated that it "is ready to take up the challenge" of launching passenger train services through the Channel Tunnel, following a key regulatory decision. A report conducted by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found there to be potential availability of capacity at Eurostar 's Temple Mills maintenance depot in north-east London, opening up the opportunity for rival train services. Access to a sustainable depot for maintenance of European-style trains and storage has been a major obstacle up until now for the potential competitors to Eurostar - hence now, the possibility of a Virgin cross-Channel service is closer to reality. In a statement, a Virgin Group spokesperson commented: "Finally a green signal for competition. The Temple Mills depot is the only facility in the UK which can accommodate European-style trains and claims suggesting it was at capacity have been blocking Virgin from coming to the line. "Virgin is therefore very pleased with the outcome and we thank the ORR for commissioning this report, which will now unlock competition on the cross-Channel route for the benefit of all passengers. "There are no more major hurdles to overcome, and Virgin is ready to take up the challenge, given its award-winning experience in the train industry and track-record for building globally successful travel brands. We expect to be able to make an announcement very soon. Watch this space!" The report's key findings state: "There is some available capacity at Temple Mills international (TMI) depot for more trains to be stabled, serviced and maintained." The Eurostar currently holds the monopoly in running passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, which originally opened back in 1994. The regulator commented: "Changes to operational and maintenance arrangements at the depot, as well as possible alterations to infrastructure, would be required to access extra capacity and allow more trains to be stabled/maintained there." The report also found the depot can comfortably handle 15 of Eurostar's 400-metre-long trains. However, the depot could squeeze up to 20 if needed and on average, Eurostar uses six to 10 of its depot slots for trains, and currently some extra space for decommissioned trains. The report added that the unused space could be made available to other train companies without any changes to the depot’s operating processes. But, the rest of the capacity would require investment to change some of the depot's process and there might be additional costs to ensure the depot can handle different classes of trains. Earlier in March, Virgin Group announced it was aiming to challenge Eurostar's Channel Tunnel dominance, with a £700 million fundraising effort to launch its own cross-Channel service. Other companies, including the Spanish start-up company Evoloyn and Gemini Trains, are also hoping to run a train service through the tunnel.