High-speed train operator Thalys is increasing its offer, and will operate 68% of its regular number of trains during the summer holidays, up from 50% now, the company announced on Monday.
On the core of the Thalys network, the Brussels-Paris route, 11 return journeys per day will be operated starting from Monday - not counting journeys on the cheaper IZY trains, which continued to run as usual.
Additionally, seven Thalys connections a day from Brussels to the Netherlands and two to Germany will also be operated over the summer, Thalys spokesman Mattias Baertsoen told the Belga news agency.
The Thalys lounges at Brussels-Midi and Paris-Nord have reopened, and from 3 July, the summer Thalys trains to the south of France will also run again.
"After the travel restrictions due to the crisis, our passengers want to be able to travel throughout Europe again. Thalys is ready with an increased offer," said Thalys CEO Bertrand Gosselin. "Our teams are eager to welcome passengers back on board our trains."
Thalys is owned by the French railway company SNCF and the Belgian SNCB company.
At the end of May, the company announced that it had taken out a loan of €120 million with various banks in order to survive the coronavirus crisis. The company made a net loss of €137.7 million in 2020.
The Brussels Times
