Eurostar and Thalys will merge in 2021.
Although the merger is not a secret (plans were announced last year) Thalys’ CEO Bertrand Gosselin has now confirmed it will go ahead next year.,
Thalys : le projet de fusion avec Eurostar est confirmé pour 2021 https://t.co/27LR5X2rGp
— La Tribune (@LaTribune) September 9, 2020
This is despite both Thalys and Eurostar facing tough times owing to the effects of Covid-19 which has led to a traffic decline.
France’s La Tribune reports that Thalys is currently facing a “brutal fall in its traffic owing to quarantine and other restrictions.
However, despite the fall in passenger numbers, the Franco-Belgian operator has decided to retain service frequency throughout September.
Interview de @bgoss44 CEO #Thalys pour @lesoir : « Notre souhait est de maintenir les fréquences et les déplacements des entreprises entre Paris et Bruxelles. Les déplacements pour motifs professionnels font partie des déplacements essentiels et restent possibles ». https://t.co/IDNmIxMmmy
— Thalys Newsroom (@NewsroomThalys) September 10, 2020
Interviewed by Le Soir, Thalys CEO Bertrand Gosselin said, “Placing Paris in the red zone hurt us very badly.”
“Business travel is one of the exceptions and remains possible.”
Therefore to encourage traffic Thalys intends to develop special fares for b2b clients. Further details are awaited.
“In order to support the economic recovery, Thalys has decided to maintain a quality offer in terms of frequency throughout the month of September. A promotional offer for b2b clients is currently being developed.” Bertrand Gosselin (@bgoss44) #Thalys CEO in @LaTribune. https://t.co/K9XGyF6oNi
— Thalys Newsroom (@NewsroomThalys) September 10, 2020
The situation is worse still at Eurostar. All its destinations lie in the UK quarantine zone and the operator has scaled back services on all routes.
In addition, Eurostar says London St Pancras will be its sole UK destination until 2022.
Thalys is a Franco-Belgian HS (high speed) train operator. It is 60 per cent owned by SNCF (France) and 40 per cent by SNCB (Belgium). Its main route links Paris with Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
