New logo for the trains of the high-speed rail operator Eurostar

For more than 25 years, Thalys high-speed trains have linked western Germany with Brussels and Paris, but now travelers will have to get used to the new name: Eurostar Group announced in Brussels on Tuesday that the Thalys brand name will disappear. since autumn. Trains from October will run under the name Eurostar. By the end of the year, all high-speed trains between Brussels, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne will have an updated Eurostar logo. It is reported by Railway Supply magazine with reference to Kurier Kolejowy.

Since 1994, the Eurostar Group has operated high-speed trains between the European continent and London through the Eurotunnel under the English Channel. Thalys has been offering connections between Paris and Brussels since 1995, adding Cologne and Essen as well as other European cities such as Amsterdam. In May last year, the two companies merged.

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The new Eurostar brand is a star representing connections between all cities. “Brussels is in the center,” says Gwendolyn Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar. “Our headquarters and network center are located here, two hours from all destinations.” In the near future, the trademark will be a star in an open circle. During the presentation, the new logo was shown against a purple background. However, the dark red Thalys trains will retain their distinctive color.

From the end of the year, all customer service points, including 51 trains, will have a new symbol and logo inspired by the Etoile du Nord, the original railway linking Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and as a tribute to the first Eurostar logo.

The combined company expects 30 million passengers by 2030. This seems ambitious as the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have led to a decline in the number of users. Last year, Eurostar and Thalys carried less than 15 million people together, half that number. Before the health crisis in 2019, the number of travelers was 19 million.

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