Thalys presents new train

Thalys inaugurated its new train at Brussels-South railways station.  The revamped design has an eye for detail and offers optimised use of space with a high level of comfort. This updated design reflects the company’s ambition to cater to the international rail transport of the future.

More comfort

For the renovation of its trains Thalys called on Yellow Window, a Belgian design agency headed by Axel Enthoven. His mission: to expand the existing capacity of 28 seats without compromising the level of comfort. Based on her expertise, French designer Matali Crasset worked on the choice of certain colours and elements for the seating or the relaxation area.

Comfort is the number one priority for the renovation, specifically with regard to the choice of seating, the quality of which contributes to Thalys’ strong reputation. This seating comfort is complemented by a fetching design with continuous lines and very refined lighting elements. Also a number of new functionalities have been introduced to enhance passenger well-being such as coat racks, USB connections and information displays. 

In addition to working with these renowned designers, Thalys also sounded out 5,000 customers about their expectations for the train of the future.

More space

To accommodate the significant growth in the number of passengers, a process that has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the carriages have been reconfigured to provide 28 additional chairs without even a hint of compromise in terms of comfort.

Luggage space has grown by 15%, making it easier to welcome customers. The new bar is called Kiosk and was designed from scratch to mirror the contemporary travel habits of Thalys travellers. Equipped with vending machines for snacks and drinks, it was designed to offer a flexible range depending on destination and time of day while also affording greater freedom of choice and efficiency for travellers.

More respect for the environment

With this new train Thalys builds on its ambition of offering its customers increasingly environment-friendly travel. Thalys trains, which have been running on 100% green energy since 2020, are now equipped with LEDs for a greener energy consumption and the toilets use clean water without the addition of chemicals. 

Thalys made it a priority to eliminate single-use plastic, replacing it with more sustainable materials. And finally, the expansion of the trains’ passenger capacity has considerably reduced CO2 emissions per km per passenger.

The first train taken into service on Tuesday 26 October 2021 will initially be deployed on the Paris-Amsterdam route with stops in Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schiphol-Airport and Amsterdam. The route to Germany, which connects Paris with Dortmund by way of Brussels, Liège, Aachen, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Duisburg and Essen is scheduled for 2022.