Thalys services to Ostend and Namur to be scrapped

Federal economy minister Johan Vande Lanotte is willing to scrap the Thalys service between Brussels and Ostend provided that the Walloon branch, which runs via Namur, suffers the same fate, he told the VRT. The Ostend-Brussels stretch of the Thalys service to Paris is nicknamed the "Phantom Thalys " because it attracts almost no passengers, sometimes none at all. Thalys trains rains travel at the same speed as normal Intercity trains between Ostend and Brussels, yet its fares are five times higher. "As far as I'm concerned, you can scrap unprofitable Thalys services - I've said it many times," Vande Lanotte said after De Morgen had raised the issue. But the minister added that the situation of the Walloon branch should also be addressed; the Paris to Ostend link costs € 1.7m, while the  Namur one costs €4.3m, he said.