Market
Thalys targets a passenger market in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The percentage of income coming from different routes demonstrates on which routes the company is most used:
- Paris-Brussels: 55.6%
- Paris-Belgium (outside Brussels): 8.9%
- Paris-Belgium-Netherlands: 21.3%
- Paris-Belgium-Germany: 11.8%
- Others: 2.4%
52% of customers are from the leisure market; 48% from the business market.
A large segment of Thalys's total sales and income comes from the connection between Paris and Brussels. A comparison is made below between different modes of transport on this route in order to demonstrate the service offered by Thalys and alternative competitors in this particular market.
The comparison has been made for a single trip from Brussels to Paris, for a ticket bought within 24 hours of departure. Despite the European Directive on Competition in Rail Transport (EU Directive 91/440), active since 1 January 2010, there is no alternative provision of high speed train connections on this route (last checked in March 2010). Potential competitors are Deutsche Bahn, Trenitalia and Veolia, as this is regularly stated in the specialized reference newspaper “Ville, Rail et Transport”.
| Transport and purchase mode | Description and comments | Duration | Single fare (without reduction, at a peak hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thalys train | Standard ticket purchased at railway station | 1h22 | €88 |
| Other direct high speed trains | No offer as of 25 September 2010 | ||
| Thalys train through ads | Online resale of Smoove tickets | 1h22 | Easier access to cheapest tickets (Smoove) |
| Other high speed trains | 1. Brussels - Lille by TGV or Eurostar;
2. Lille - Paris by TGV |
1h30, plus transfer time at Lille. If Eurostar, add advance boarding time (30 mn) | €64.90 - €80 |
| Regional trains | 1. Brussels – Lille via Ghent or Mouscron (Belgium) by regional trains;
2. Lille - Paris by TGV |
3h, plus transfer time | Brussels – Lille: €26 - €44.90;
Lille – Paris: €38.90 - €54; Total: €64.90 - €98.90 |
| Bus | Eurolines bus | 3h45, plus 30 mn boarding time | €21 - €23 |
| Car | Many car pooling websites allow to connect car drivers and those looking for a ride on a car trip. | 3h | €12 - €20 as passenger, depending on agreements with the driver.
About €37 for a driver (€12 highway toll, €25 for 400 km petrol/diesel) |
| Flights | Brussels Airlines | 1h00 flight time, plus at least 1h boarding time | €188.06 (one way) and €335.55 (return fare ) |
Other information concerning the transport offer:
Before Thalys, in 1996, the train called Etoile du Nord (Northern Star), a Trans Europe Express, was connecting Paris and Brussels in 2h20.
The prices of Thalys tickets vary widely, even for the same journey and same level of comfort. Here is an example of prices for Paris to Brussels, Comfort 2 (equivalent to 2nd class), maximum price, by ticket category:
| Tariff name | Description and comments | Price |
| Hi-Life | Peak hour | €88 |
| Optiway | Non-peak hour | €71 |
| Smoove | Ticket purchased in advance (from 3 months to 15 days) |
Up to €35 if booked 15 days in advance (limited seats) |
| Youth | Until 25 years old | €44 (limited seats) |
| Senior | From 60 years old | €62 (limited seats) |
| Kid | Child | Up to €29 |
| Kid & Co | Child accompanier | Up to €43 |
About Smoove:
Until the 1990s, regular travelers remember that it was easy to find reduced price tickets at usual departure times (as 8 AM or 6 PM), through the promotional pages of Thalys website. In December 2009, tests effectuated on this site have evidenced that these reduced price tickets have become quite rare, and essentially for unusual departure times (between 6 and 8 AM or after 9 PM (statistics to be found for this).
About Kid and Kid & Co:
Unlike many national train companies, Thalys does not allow children below 12 years old to travel alone. This has been interpreted as a way to rise profits, according categories of users impacted by this measure.
Since 24 August 2010, there is a supplement of €7 to Thalys (as well as other international high speed tickets) tickets bought at NMBS/SNCB ticket offices at train stations. This is due to a reduction of a sales fee paid by Thalys and Eurostar to the Belgian rail company.
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 4,72 | 4,98 | 5,5 | 5,8 | 6,0 | 5,8 | 5,95 | 6,15 | 6,5 | 6,2 | 6,5 | 6,07 | 6,45 | 6,65 | ||
| Revenue | 60 | 115 | 190 | 220 | 266 | 294 | 310 | 301 | 318 | 335 | 363 | 364 | 392 | 382 | 432 | 470 |
Read more about this topic: Thalys
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