Murat Yüksekdam
High-speed train companies Eurostar and Thalys have officially finalised their merger, meaning they will become one company: from the end of 2023, all trains between Brussels, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne will run under the name Eurostar, with a renewed logo.
On 24 January 2023 Eurostar Group, incorporating Thalys and Eurostar, revealed the new brand to take the business forward, with a bold ambition to carry 30 million passengers a year by 2030 and become the backbone of sustainable travel in Europe. From the end of 2023, all customer touchpoints including the business’ 51 trains will carry a sleek new look under the Eurostar brand name. Eurostar was selected due to high consumer awareness at both a European and global level, including overseas which continues to be a growing market for high-speed rail services.
The new business has chosen an iconic star as its symbol and new logo inspired by l’Etoile du Nord, the original train service linking Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and as a tribute to the first Eurostar logo. An animated spark graphic acts as a compass symbolising the brand purpose to spark new opportunities, connecting people, places, businesses, and cultures across borders. However, both trains were fitted with the new logos for one day only to unveil the new branding that will be rolled out by the end of 2023. Eurostar is set for the rebrand as soon as of autumn 2023.
Under a single brand, Eurostar Group aims to spark a new golden age for high-speed rail connectivity in Europe, continuing to convert road and air travellers to rail at a time when passengers are keen to have greener travel options. Eurostar Group passengers will have Europe at their fingertips, benefiting from a single loyalty programme covering all destinations across the current Eurostar and Thalys networks, as well as a single website and booking system from October 2023. For continental travellers, this will improve ease of booking direct and connecting journeys to London and for UK passengers it will offer simple, seamless connections between London and German destinations including Cologne.
With the alliance legally completed on 1 May 2022, today marks a milestone in the bringing together of the two businesses. Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs said: "We are proud to be engaged in Eurostar Group, the world's leading high-speed rail company. This new Eurostar brand, with its unified network, is at the heart of our ambition to enable international rail development and to double its modal share by 2030. We have everything we need to succeed in this wonderful challenge!”
Alain Krakovitch, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Eurostar Group said: “We set out a bold ambition: increase the number of passengers from 19 million in 2019 to 30 million in 2030. And accelerate the shift from air and road travel to high-speed rail travel on the combined Eurostar and Thalys network.
The new brand identity was created by DesignStudio based on the heritage of Eurostar and Thalys, fit for the digital age and designed to help the business grow. It is deployed in a palette of ten colours, bringing in warmer shades representative of the Thalys brand and will be rolled out from October 2023.
About Eurostar Group Limited
Eurostar Group Limited is a high-speed railway service connecting London, Paris, and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. The company was formed in 1994 as a joint venture between the French, Belgian, and British governments, and it began operating services in 1996. Eurostar trains travel at speeds of up to 186 mph (300 km/h) and offer a convenient and environmentally friendly alternative to air travel for journeys between the cities it serves. In 2010 Eurostar became a standalone company and in 2010, it was bought by a consortium of Canadian, French and Belgian investors. The company has been providing high-speed rail services between London, Paris, Brussels, and other destinations in Europe for over 20 years.