Thalys Routes (High-Speed Train)

Thalys Routes (High-Speed Train)

Beyond Brussels, the main cities Thalys trains reach are Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Liège, Aachen and Cologne. Trains to these destinations run partly on dedicated high-speed tracks, and partly on conventional tracks shared with normal-speed trains. The high-speed lines used by Thalys are HSL 1 between Paris and Brussels, HSL 4/HSL-Zuid between Antwerp and Amsterdam, and the HSL 2 and HSL 3 between Brussels and Aachen. For its seasonal operations within France, other high-speed lines are used.

Journeys from Brussels (Brussels-South) to Paris (Gare du Nord) are normally 1 hour and 22 minutes, for a distance of approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi). The peak service speed is 300 km/h (186 mph) while travelling a dedicated high-speed railway track, which is typically electrified at 25 kV AC by an overhead line.

The Ligne à Grande Vitesse (LGV) link with Charles de Gaulle Airport allowed Air France to withdraw its air service between Paris and Brussels, instead, Air France transfers connecting passengers onto Thalys trains. Thalys has been given the IATA designator 2H. This is used in conjunction with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. American Airlines has a code-sharing agreement with Thalys for rail service from Charles de Gaulle airport to Brussels-South. The airline alliance SkyTeam also has a code-sharing agreement with Thalys for rail service connecting its hub Amsterdam Schiphol Airport with Antwerp-Centraal and Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid. Thalys and the Dutch flagcarrier KLM jointly collaborate on AirRail, an initiative to encourage passengers to travel by train to connect with KLM flights, this effort led to KLM reducing air services between Brussels and Amsterdam.

Thalys target Passenger Market

Thalys targets a passenger market in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.

The percentage of income coming from different routes demonstrates on which routes the company is most used:

• Paris-Brussels: 55.6%
• Paris-Belgium (outside Brussels): 8.9%
• Paris-Belgium-Netherlands: 21.3%
• Paris-Belgium-Germany: 11.8%
• Others: 2.4%

52% of customers are from the leisure market, while 48% are from the business market. A large segment of Thalys's total sales and income comes from the connection between Paris and Brussels.

Unlike many national train companies, Thalys does not allow children below 12 years old to travel alone. Children onboard Thalys services must be accompanied and possess appropriate travel documents as required by the relevant national authorities pertaining to the journey being made.

Since 24 August 2010, there has been a supplement of €7 to Thalys (as well as other international high-speed tickets) tickets bought at SNCB/NMBS ticket offices at train stations (but not on tickets bought over the Internet). This is due to a reduction of a sales fee paid by Thalys and Eurostar to the Belgian rail company. The sales prices have evolved, by June 2019, the "booking fee" (as it is referred to as) had risen to €9.

Thalys Yearly Passengers and Revenue

                       1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011
Passengers                         4.72  4.98   5.5     5.8      6.0     5.8      5.95   6.15   6.5      6.2     6.5     6.07    6.45   6.65
Revenue       60       115    190    220     266    294   310      301    318    335    363   364     392    382    432     470

                       2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020  2021  2022
Passengers  6.60    6.69   6.90   6.70    7.20  7.51   7.85    2.7     2.5     6.5
Revenue       479     487    487    457     509   527

All figures in millions. Revenue in millions of euros.

Thalys Overview

Thalys Owner: Eurostar Group
Thalys Stations: 26
Thalys Service Type: High-speed rail
Thalys Rolling Stock:
9 Thalys PBA
17 Thalys PBKA
Thalys Commenced: 4 June 1996
Thalys Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Thalys Operating Speed: 300 km/h (190 mph)