Thalys Changes Name and Becomes Eurostar

The Thalys brand name will soon disappear. A name change following the merger of Thalys and Eurostar.

Thalys trains will soon become Eurostar. All graphic elements that characterized the brand will disappear, including the red paint on the trains. The change will take effect by the end of the year.

This decision follows the merger of Thalys with Eurostar, which led to the creation of the Eurostar Group holding company on May 1, 2022. “The name ‘Eurostar’ was chosen because of the strong brand recognition among consumers, both at the European and global levels, including North America, which remains a growing market for high-speed rail services”, explains the company in its statement. Eurostar Group also adopts a new star-shaped logo, a nod to the North Star present in the original Eurostar logo.

Initiated in 2019, the alliance project between Thalys and Eurostar was delayed by the health crisis. The new entity is mainly owned by SNCF Voyage Développement, which holds 55.75% of the shares. The remaining capital is split between CDPQ (19.31%), SNCB (18.50%), and funds managed by Federated Hermes Infrastructure (6.44%).

Big ambitions for Eurostar Group

The creation of Eurostar Group will be realized through the implementation of a shared loyalty program, as well as the phasing out of the current Thalys and Eurostar websites, replaced by a single, unified site. “For continental travelers, this will facilitate the booking of direct and connecting trips to London,” states Eurostar Group. “For UK passengers, it will provide simple and seamless connections between London and German destinations, including Cologne.”.

Eurostar Group hopes to benefit from the increasing interest in rail travel, which attracts a growing number of environmentally conscious travelers. The company aims to transport 30 million people in 2023, roughly double the number it served in 2022 (14.8 million travelers recorded).

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