Eurostar Group has unveiled its new brand following the merger between Eurostar and Thalys rail operators as it looks to take advantage of increased demand for rail travel in western Europe.
Gwendoline Cazenave, the group's new CEO, said the rebranding was a “unique moment for rail travel”, during a launch event in Brussels on Tuesday (24 January).
“We have been operating for over 27 years connecting people, places, cultures and businesses across borders," she said. "It’s the first time in the history of high-speed rail that two high-speed companies are merging.
“Now for the next chapter, Eurostar will be the backbone of sustainable travel across European borders. We will have the largest international high-speed network in western Europe – no other railway crosses as many borders.”
The merger will see the Thalys brand disappear in favour of the Eurostar name with all 51 trains being given a makeover with the new logo. The company also plans to launch a single reservation system, website and app for all services by the end of the year. There will also be a single loyalty scheme across the group.
Cazenave said that Eurostar Group carried 15 million passengers in 2022, which compares with 19 million in 2019. The company has the aim of catering for 30 million travellers annually by 2030 through its growth plans.
Last year, leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel both recovered faster for Eurostar than corporate travel. By the end of 2022, business traffic had returned to 80-85 per cent of pre-Covid levels.
Cazenave emphasised that one of the issues holding back Eurostar’s growth was “bottlenecks” at its major stations, including London St Pancras and Amsterdam, which was limiting capacity and causing some trains to operate at less than 50 per cent of capacity.
She played down the impact of Brexit on its operations – although it is now taking around 30 per cent longer to process UK travellers at immigration. She also welcomed the delay in the implementation of the EU’s new Entry-Exit System (EES) until after this summer’s peak travel season.
Cazenave said there was “still willingness to travel” between the UK and Europe despite Brexit and added that demand for travel was “not an issue”.
Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, which is the majority shareholder in Eurostar, added: “This new Eurostar brand, with its unified network, is at the heart of our ambition to enable international rail development and to double its modal share by 2030.”
Eurostar also wants to connect its services to national railways in the five countries it serves, as well as with hub airports to connect rail journeys with long-haul air services.
Alain Krakovitch, chairman of Eurostar Group’s board, added: “We know that the challenge of climate change and Europe’s growing demand for eco-responsible and sustainable travel presents a great opportunity for both companies in terms of development in the long term.”