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What is the difference between Thalys and TGV/SNCF

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sk688

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Hi all
Sorry if this has been asked before , but I cannot work out what is the difference between Thalys , TGV and SNCF .

Can anyone shed some light on what the differences are please ?
Any responses would be much appreciated
 
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317666

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SNCF = The French national railway operator.

TGV = Train Grand Vitesse (High Speed Train), a service operated by SNCF.

Thalys = An international operator running high speed services to/from France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, using very similar trains to TGVs.
 
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Thalys - high speed international joint operation between SNCF (France), NMBS/SNCB (Belgium), NS (The Netherlands), and until recently DB (Germany).

TGV -Train Grande Vitesse, the French railways high speed trains.

SNCF -Société nationale des chemins de fer français - the French national railway.


Hope this helps! :D
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
SNCF = The French national railway operator.

TGV = Train Grand Vitesse (High Speed Train), a service operated by SNCF.

Thalys = An international operator running high speed services to/from France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, using very similar trains to TGVs.

Bet me to it! :)
 

Gordon

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Thalys ... using very similar trains to TGVs.

Exactly the same in fact. All Thalys trains are of the TGV type.

Although TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) just means High Speed Train (literally Train of Great Speed...) , it is accepted parlance that TGV is specifically the type of train developed by SNCF, of which there are now about 10 variants (including the original Eurostar 373s) as opposed to, for example, the German ICE family.

English wikipedia gives a decent break down of the different variants, but the French wikipedia is even better as its list includes the Spanish TGVs (AVE 101 etc) and the Korean variant, plus also the US Acela Express which is slightly more different than other types but is still technologically a TGV


.
 
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LNW-GW Joint

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MarcVD

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As far as I know DB pulled out of Thalys a few years ago already. I think NS has a small stake...

Envoyé de mon GT-I9505 en utilisant Tapatalk
 

LNW-GW Joint

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As far as I know DB pulled out of Thalys a few years ago already. I think NS has a small stake...

Not according to Thalys' own web site (link above).

Legally speaking, Thalys is two joint companies:
The company Thalys International, whose shareholders are French, Belgian and German rail companies (62% SNCF, 28% SNCB, 10% DB), with Dutch Railways (NS) as a privileged partner,
The Railway Company THI Factory, 60% of whose capital is held by SNCF, and 40% by SNCB
I know DB has stopped selling tickets and intend to withdraw their Thalys shareholding.
 

MisterT

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The company Thalys International is a joint venture between SNCF, SNCB/NMBS and DB, and has a partnership with NS.
The trains are operated by THI Factory (60% SNCF, 40% SNCB/NMBS) in France and Belgium, by NS/Thalys Nederland in the Netherlands and Keolis in Germany.
The NS/Thalys Nederland holding owns two TGV PBKA train sets and provides train crews from NS International for the Amsterdam - Brussels leg for both Thalys and Eurostar in the future.
 

HowardGWR

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As far as I know DB pulled out of Thalys a few years ago already. I think NS has a small stake...

Envoyé de mon GT-I9505 en utilisant Tapatalk

Hilarious, yet appropriate I suppose in this part of the forum, that we have to put up with this ridiculous advert in a foreign language as well.:D

You can apparently stop your software inflicting this on us.
 

MarcVD

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I could not care less, honestly...

Envoyé de mon GT-I9505 en utilisant Tapatalk
 

HowardGWR

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I think (hope) he was being ironic (;)), and not trying to behave like Nigel Farage... ;)

Yes my SOH is sometimes not well expressed. I would welcome postings in French or German (or Dutch in which I am fluent), especially on this thread area, but I do have a hang-up about these stupid adverts and I've asked Mods to request folk to turn them off, which I understand is a flick of a switch on their computers.

A tout a l'heure.
 
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