ANKARA

This fall the Thalys railway brand will be folded into its better-known co-brand Eurostar, said Eurostar Group CEO Gwendoline Cazenave on Monday.

"We need a unique, strong brand for our customers, which will be the symbol of the European network that we want to set up," she said, according to French daily Le Figaro.

Previously the companies said in 2023 they will "both evolve towards a single brand: Eurostar."

According to the CEO, Eurostar – which has operated between London and Europe since 1994 – is better known than Thalys, which started connecting France and Belgium in 1995, Le Figaro added.

Mobile apps, websites, booking systems, and loyalty programs will also be merged in October, and a new logo will be seen by the end of the year, Cazenave added.

The merged company aims to carry 30 million passengers by 2030, she said, adding that the former Thalys trains will remain red and will not be repainted.

Thalys and Eurostar merged last May.