15

I agree with lagatta in #14.
If i am not mistaken, the Fyra train will only be slightly cheaper compared to Thalys but will still be much more expensive compared to the IC train, especially for spontaneous travellers. The fact of having to pre-book (well) ahead in order to get 'reasonable' prices for those fast trains annoys me most.

In my hometown Antwerp, hotel owners fear a considerable decrease of Dutch guests (which are the most important in numbers) as a result of the abolition of this IC train, and the opposite will happen in the Netherlands as well.
And as lagatta wrote, more people will do such trips by car in the future, which is a perverse effect.

16

I don't see any point in a Thalys or "Frya" over an IC for such a short trip

Depends on the budget and whether someone likes it or not. That's all.
Thalys is always busy - and a lovely ride. It's not as if I do it every day either.

17

You really don't seem to get the point Billy.
It is not about disliking fast trains which undeniably are faster but also much more expensive. It is about the abolition of a much cheaper and more democratic alternative, an inter-city train which has been there for many decades.

Many ordinary people will not take an expensive Thalys or Fyra train for an improvised weekend. Speaking for myself, if i want to go to say Amsterdam for a weekend with my partner, gioing by car will be far cheaper in the future even with the high petrol and parking costs.

Using public transportation instead of cars should be rewarded. Now trains are becoming more expensive compared to pollutive cars, even for a single person travelling.
Flying is too cheap and trains are too expensive. Basically wrong if you ask me.

18

my guess: an inappropriate number of railway chiefs would rather be airline chiefs and trim their business accordingly. they have endless dreams of smart long-distance business passengers, plush lounges in stations and cute stewardesses pushing refreshment trolleys through aisles. short distance hop-on/hop-off travellers (possibly even standing in the way! or even bringing their own sandwiches!) are a nightmare to them that has to be fought with all measures available: mandatory reservations etcetc.

bollocks!

19

You really don't seem to get the point

Of course I get the point.
Some people don't like Thalys, other people do.... I do.
It's obvious to me, that it's others who are missing the point entirely.

20

No you don't get it Billy but i give up so you can have the last word. I also think most other people on here understand what my point was about.
Who dislikes Thalys BTW? Not me as i wrote, and after all we were not discussing Thalys anymore...

@Nautiker

The kind of people who use the fast trains compared to IC trains certainly is very different. The plebs won't happily pay for a fast train anywhere along the Brussels - Amsterdam track, so you could have a point there ;-)

21

I like Thalys. That's why I get it. No worries.

22

I like Thalys too and have happily taken it between Paris and Amsterdam, but note I wasn't paying - a client was.

Battybilly, you seem to have either no understanding or no care about people who don't have your disposible budget. I don't need a bloody refreshment trolley between Rotterdam and Ghent.

23

Don't know if you went already, but beware that you may have only 5 minutes to change trains in Antwerp. At least it used to be like that. And you have to change to a whole different platform and climb several stairs. So ask the conductor which platform you need and RUN, or wait half an hour or so for the next train.