"Don't ever call me again Thalys" . On 1 October this year, the company disappeared, merged into Eurostar, the brand chosen because it is the best known, particularly among overseas customers. This new beginning was well worth a presentation yesterday at London in its offices near St Pancras International station, and a small party to celebrate its first advertising campaign " Travelling Further Together" . Broadcast from 16 October in five countries served (France, UK, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany), this animated film celebrating diversity and inclusion aims to rejuvenate the brand and " breaking codes" according to Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of the high-speed rail company. " We are opening a new chapter in the history of two companies that have revolutionised long-distance mobility in Europe for 30 years. We will go even further by setting new standards and providing the best experience for our customers, without forgetting a sustainable travel solution" . The new logo is accompanied by the slogan "Together we go further", symbolising the desire to "...go further". to go further in Europe and do even more for our customers" adds François Le Doze, Commercial Director of the reunified company.
Business traffic still down on 2019
" Eurostar is engaged in a growth project with the aim of 30 million passengers by 2030 compared with almost 20 million this year" says Gwendoline Cazenave. The recovery is more marked in the leisurethe business segment remaining at 80% of pre-Covid traffic. Leaving aside the idea of opening new routes, Eurostar intends first to increase its frequencies between its capitals. " A great deal of operational work is being carried out to optimise and coordinate all the routes." points out the General Manager. From mid-December onwards, trains heading for the Alpine resorts from London and Amsterdam will be connected at Lille-Europe. " Our capital cities are set to become open hub connected to each country's domestic network, but also to airlines via airports", adds the dynamic boss. An agreement has been reached with KLM to transport Belgian passengers to Amsterdam Schiphol thanks to a quota of 10 to 30 places per TGV. The Brussels-Midi is also considered crucial, connected to 3,600 destinations in less than 6 hours" she points out. With no fleet renewal planned before 2032-2035, this growth will be achieved with a constant fleet of 25 trains (with up to 894 passengers) on the cross-Channel network and 26 TGVs (with 371 seats) on the continental network. Finally, no reopening of stops at Ashford, Ebbsfleet, Calais and Marne-la-Vallée is currently planned for economic reasons. " Eurostar will reopen this file when the company can afford it" she assures us. Eurostar almost didn't survive Covid and the effects of Brexit.
In addition to the deployment of the logo on all points of contact, including trains, by the end of December, the most visible elements of the merger are the switching of Thalys lounges to Eurostar coloursthe launch of the Eurostar Trains application and new Eurostar.com websiteand the creation of Eurostar Cluba unique loyalty programme with 2.5 million customers. " Given the size of the new Eurostar, it will enable frequent travellers to earn points more quickly and spend them across the network." says Francois Le Doze. However, some travellers who were members of both programmes have encountered problems reuniting their points.
New Enterprise contracts expected in 2024
Eurostar is still identify common customersEnterprise contracts will only be recast in 2024based on new consumption levels on this XXL network. " We need to analyse the location and characteristics of these companies, their consumption patterns and volumes, their growth margins..." explains the Sales Director. Other harmonisations are also expected, such as the reservation opening calendar which was 11 months for Eurostar but 4 months for Thalys. The RubY programme to upgrade ex-TGV Thalys trains will continue, with a few minor changes. To date, only four trainsets have been refurbished, as this project is significantly behind schedule.
Relying on a strong brand, a quality of service that will be reinforced and an on-board comfort that is considered to be unequalled, Eurostar is putting itself in fighting order to face up to the potential competitors who will tomorrow come and bite its calves on its routes (Trenitaliathe Renfe or the Mobico/Getlink tandem). " Our aim will be to give our customers no reason to switch to the competition" concluded Gwendoline Cazenave.
