2013-05-05
Today, Deutsche Bahn and Thalys announced that Deutsche Bahn will stop selling Thalys tickets on all German stations from 9 June 2013. The European Passengers' Federation criticizes this decision. "This is absolutely not what rail passengers want and a step back to the past", Pro Bahn spokesman Andreas Frank criticizes. Since 1997, Thalys International has had its own strategy with compulsory reservation and a fare system that is clearly different from the normal system in Germany. For this reason, Thalys remains an outsider on the tracks between Aachen, Köln, Düsseldorf and Essen.
Thalys doesn't accept normal ICE tickets, Pro Bahn complains. Because of the separated ticketing, customers experience problems, when they do not get their connecting trains in case of delays. The split-up has practical disadvantages for the customer: a journey made with two tickets is not regarded as a through journey. This, however, is a condition to grant the passenger rights.
Pro Bahn and the European Passengers' Federation ask Thalys and DB to agree on a more customer-friendly solution for the sale of international tickets between Germany, Belgium and France at German stations.