Transport Online – Thalys CEO apologizes after incident delays
BRUSSELS – CEO Jacques Damas of Thalys in an email to customers his offers for a number of recent incidents. For example, a number of the company’s fast trains broke down due to the heat. There were also many delays over a Thalys train had a collision with an animal. “This is certainly not the level of service we want to offer our customers,” said Damas.
In mid-July, a Thalys train ran aground just outside Paris-Nord station due to a technical problem caused by heat. The air conditioning in the stationary train also stopped working, but passengers were unable to get out and smashed a few side windows. A few days later, a train came to a halt in northern France and last week a train ran aground after a collision with an animal just outside the Belgian town of Tournai. must stop others too.
Damas indicates that Thalys cannot do anything about the causes of many disruptions. “We need to ensure that these incidents have as little impact as possible on you as a traveler.” Due to the problems, Thalys has reduced the timetable and the trains are maintained more frequently.
Thalys operates high-speed lines in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. The company recently accelerated with Eurostar, the high-speed rail link between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. In time, the brand name Thalys and those trains will also be called Eurostar.