Thalys Eurostar merger: high-speed rail travel in Europe
All the information about the Thalys Eurostar merger and its impact on your journeys
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The new Thalys website
From early October 2023, all destinations previously served by Thalys trains — namely Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Dortmund and Cologne — will be bookable on eurostar.com, alongside London Paris trains!
In other words, the thalys.com website is now officially integrated into eurostar.com. From now on, you can book all your Eurostar and Thalys tickets directly on the Eurostar website.
All tickets booked ahead of the merger date in early October will of course also be transferred to the Eurostar website. You won't lose your tickets!
Finally, you can still easily book your Eurostar and Thalys tickets directly at the station or on the websites of specialist, approved travel agencies such as Tictactrip.
Why are Thalys and Eurostar joining forces?
The merger project between Thalys and Eurostar stems from an ambitious plan: to create a larger high-speed rail network within a committed company.
Their goal is clear: to join forces and connect every city in Europe without borders. Today, the company is present in 5 European countries.
Finally, Eurostar and Thalys aim to be a major player in sustainable mobility for the future.
What changes for Thalys Eurostar travellers?
The Eurostar Thalys merger promises new journeys and new destinations under the Eurostar banner. In other words, the company is looking to centralise European rail travel.
Another advantage of this merger lies in centralising an environmentally friendly form of transport to support its future expansion.
It will also help standardise and simplify booking journeys between major European cities, even though this was already possible thanks to players such as Tictactrip.
The travel experience is also improved, as there will no longer be any need to register on both Eurostar and Thalys for your various European journeys, but on a single site instead. Connections will be made easier as a result.
Similarly, their loyalty programmes are merging, letting you enjoy the perks and benefits they offer more often through the loyalty programme: Club Eurostar.
All the points you've accumulated in the My Thalys World loyalty programme will be converted and added to your new Club Eurostar loyalty programme. Of course, you won't lose anything!
As you might expect, the Thalys app will disappear and merge with the Eurostar app. We'll let you download it... just like the Tictactrip app, to always enjoy the best prices!
The new Eurostar network
The good news for travellers: the Eurostar and Thalys networks are merging to offer you a much bigger map of destinations! Now that's what we like to hear.
Here is the list of destinations accessible thanks to the Thalys Eurostar merger, including the Thalys Neige and Thalys Soleil routes:
- Paris,
- Bourg-St-Maurice,
- Chambéry,
- Landry,
- Albertville,
- Moûtiers,
- Valence,
- Avignon,
- Aix-en-Provence,
- Marseille,
- Paris Charles de Gaulle,
- Amsterdam,
- Rotterdam,
- Schiphol Airport,
- London,
- Brussels,
- Antwerp,
- Liège,
- Aachen,
- Cologne,
- Düsseldorf,
- Cologne,
- Duisburg,
- Essen,
- Dortmund
- and Düsseldorf Airport.
You're spoilt for choice when it comes to destinations in France, Germany, England, Belgium and the Netherlands.
FAQ for the Thalys Eurostar company
🚄 How can I tell Thalys trains apart from Eurostar trains?
Originally, Thalys trains were red and connected France to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
With the Eurostar and Thalys merger, Thalys trains will disappear to become Eurostar's blue trains.
So you'll travel across the 5 European countries served aboard the blue Eurostar trains.
😥 Is my Thalys ticket still valid after the merger?
The merger between Thalys and Eurostar does not result in any cancellation of your tickets.
All your Thalys journeys booked for a date after the merger will still be valid. However, be careful, you'll be boarding Eurostar trains!
Don't get it wrong ;)
🌇 Will all Thalys destinations be bookable on Eurostar?
This is one of the main goals of the merger between Thalys and Eurostar: to improve intra-European rail service.
In other words, all Thalys and Eurostar destinations will be combined and all available for booking.
Thalys Neige and Thalys Soleil trains will be available depending on the season, as was already the case.
Main destinations of the Thalys Eurostar company
Thalys Eurostar Paris
Travelling to Paris aboard the new Eurostar trains, formerly Thalys, is now possible!
All former Thalys destinations are still served, only the company's name has changed.
You can easily travel to Paris from all the cities originally served by both Eurostar and Thalys.
Have a good trip!
Thalys Eurostar London
Just as with Paris, you can now travel to London by Eurostar train, even from Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Aimé-la-Plagne or Marseille!
In other words, the new Eurostar network inherited from Thalys makes it easier for you to travel across Europe.
What's more, all these tickets can be compared and booked directly on Tictactrip. Why deprive yourself of travelling?
The history of the Thalys Eurostar merger
We're delighted to announce big news in the world of European rail travel: from October 2023, Thalys trains are joining the Eurostar family and will operate under the Eurostar name. 🚄
But rest assured, this merger won't change the essence of your travel experience at all. On the contrary, it will bring an extra dose of magic to your adventures across Europe. A Europe that will logically be even better served by the Eurostar company.
So, concretely, what will happen?
And the best part of it all? You'll still be able to reach all the destinations currently served by Thalys, and of course by Eurostar. Europe has never been so accessible!
Wondering what all this means in detail? Well, stay right here. We've prepared a wealth of information for you, so you'll be fully ready for this new era of rail adventures.
As a bonus, here are a few figures about each company so you can get a better picture.
Eurostar:
- Year founded: Eurostar was created in 1994.
- Number of passengers carried: In 2019, Eurostar carried around 11 million passengers.
- Destinations: Eurostar serves major cities such as Paris, Brussels, London, Amsterdam, Lille and many others, connecting the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Top speed: Eurostar trains can reach a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).
- Fleet: Eurostar operates several train models, including the e320 and e300 trains.
Thalys:
- Year founded: Thalys was created in 1996.
- Number of passengers carried: In 2019, Thalys carried around 7 million passengers.
- Destinations: Thalys connects cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne and others, offering links between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
- Top speed: Thalys trains can reach a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).
- Fleet: Thalys has a fleet of modern trains, including PBA and PBKA trains.
See also
