Why I won’t ride Thalys high-speed again... (NIGHTMARE JOURNEY!)
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- čas přidán 14. 03. 2023
- Today I'm riding on Thalys, the international high-speed operator in western Europe. Sadly, things really don't go to plan, so find out why I won't ride Thalys again!
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Journey Details:
Origin: Marne-la-Vallée - Chessy TGV
Destination: Rotterdam Centraal
Company: Thalys International
Train: SNCF TGV Thalys PBA
Accommodation: Premium Seat (1st+)
Distance: 459 kilometres / 285 miles
Price: €90.00 (£77.20 / $94.20)
Time: 2 hours 58 minutes, arrived 5 minutes early
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Find me elsewhere:
superalbs.weebly.com/
/ superalbs
/ superalbstravels
/ superalbstravels
See, this is where the Dutch part of me starts kicking in.
Because if I paid for a meal service, and don't get meal service.
The first thing I do when getting off the train, is go straight to the ticket booth, and demand money back to be equal to what the ticket would've been without the meal service.
At a minimum a refund of the difference between a first class ticket and a second class ticket (and that is where the Irish in me shows up) PS before I got to your post I had put up the same thing just a couple of posts after yours
see, this is where the poor european country starts to kicking in and don't give a shit because I can't afford cute little trains and I will instead fly on a low cost at a fraction of the price
Commercial airlines are subsidized .an indirect subsidy that is very complex is that jet fuel refinement uses 20% of the oil feedstock.therefore a minority of the public travels x km(miles) the same quantity of oil used for modern cars will move 8 to 10 times more people the equal distance.Difference is speed ..with e.u. nations having no less than 12% unemployment the commissars are very very pleased..They wouldn't want middle class population to increase by 33% in a short time.That would eventually lead to much more liberty freedom and ultimately democracy by,for and of the majority. 😮
@@riskinhos a HAHAHAHAA
driving 535kilometres is like a standard commute in the SW USA Except CA,+[though nothing in pnw and except(prollynot)or the usa its nothing, 3hrs instead of 9hours of driving don't be abitch
My biggest problem with both Thalys and Eurostar are the completely absurd prices compared to SNCF and DB.
It's especially funny when you find out that the capacities of the Eurotunnel are only partly used to keep competition away.
Lovely!
If you book your ticket on time it is not so expensive.
Maybe the "not using full capacity" is due to Brexit.
The boarder checks need more time, but the UK government refuse more money, more check points and more stuff to make it faster due to their narrative that Brexit didn't change anything. It makes no sense to transport more than could be checked.
But then you get there on time, which cannot be said for DB. They hit an all time low on punctuatlity of less than 70% recently.
SNCF is europes biggest enemy of international travel, which they realized with projects such as the thalys and the eurostar. They're doing everything they can to stop progress.
Well UK / US always want to show that if you are not rich (by being steeling from others nation and peoples_ ) than you are not worth..
SEE THE UKRAIN WAR
Belgian traindriver here. Brussel Kapellenkerk is just a small station on the extremely busy North/South line. To keep the train traffic flowing at 87 trains per hour during rush hour, it is not feasible to have more than the 2 trains per hour that stop here. Each of the 6 tracks has a frequency of about 15 trains per hour. That's one train every 4 minutes.
Must be a total deathtrap for wildlife and birds in the vicinity of these lines.
@@scrambaba the line runs on viaducts and through a tunnel, smack down in the middle of Brussels. The only birds I see there, if at all, are pigeons. So no worries about wildlife, there is none. The maximum speed on the line is 50 km/h in the tunnel, and 40 km/h outside.
@@amrastheluckywoof5524 Ok, thanks for the response! I suspect that there are much more than pigeons there, so long as there are trees and water sources. But the risk of collisions is minimized from what you describe. One other question. That is principally an urban area from what you describe. Does the North/South line include countryside as well?
@@scrambaba No, it's a rather short line in the Belgian rail network, straight through the middle of Brussels. At one end, there's Brussel North station. At the other end, there's Brussels South station. Both those stations are connected to a few other lines as well. Some of those lines will pass through the countryside, like line 124, between Brussels South and Charleroi.
Thanks for the technical insight.
Richard, I think you and I have totally different opinions of what a nightmare journey would be like.
Probably the OP forgot the mercedes saying: the train is a luxury offer in US but just a transportation in Europe.
absolutely ridiculously privileged. he should try a train in Romania or Kazakhstan
Umm, yes. Mine includes a shouting mother with one screaming baby and a toddler that doesn't stop peering over the seat at you, trying to employ you in a game of hide-and-seek.
My husband had a terrible journey one time.
A mother of 3 had managed to get tickets for seats scattered all over the carriage. She sat next to the youngest. Her daughter didn't bother occupying her seat, preferring to run up and down the carriage. The boy she left in the seat by my husband. The boy was travel sick from the minute the journey started. He was too young to understand that he had to keep his head over the bag, vomit soon rolling up and down the floor. My husband was so stressed by the time he got home.
it is about how much you pay that you set your expectations ..... French service is always very bad . even French people know that ..
@@BPFACTS88 or the UK!
Great video though I must make one correction. Brussels is in fact the biggest city in the country with around 1.2 milion inhabitants. Brussels is however made up of (I think) 19 communes of which one is called Brussels (which just makes up the small inner center) and does indeed have around 200k inhabitants.
Yes very important correction. I was just about to post this too!
This is a similar distinction, I presume, to (Greater) London vs the City of London.
A lot of people wouldn't believe you if you said the City of London was 1 mi² and had a population of 8,583, but it's true! At least, technically.
I was about to write the same comment! Furthermore, Brussels South station isn’t even located in the commune Brussels you’re talking about in the video, but in the commune Saint-Gilles.
Most of Europe is like that. You have an old city, and a metropolitan area. For example, Amsterdam has just over 900,000 inhabitants, but the greater metropolitan area is home to 2.5 million people. And if you take the Randstad conurbation, almost half of the Dutch population, around 8.5 million, live there.
Unfortunately, when large companies have the monopoly on major transport routes then customer service tends to go out of the window. It’s all about the profit margin rather than creating a pleasurable experience for those using the service. They know passengers can’t or won’t go elsewhere. Competition from open access providers is needed in my view. Thalys has gained a poor reputation in recent times.
I well remember the breakdowns in summer 2022 when passengers were left stranded for hours. The failure outside Paris even made SCMP news (also shown on CZcams) in Hong Kong.
Unfortunately, companies owned by SNCF hate a fair competition, and looking at the quality of service on Thalys, it's clear why they're so afraid...
@@SuperalbsTravels and if the service gets bad enough, people will ditch the train for the car, which is not a good thing. That’s the situation here in the US, with Amtrak. It’s a good way to see the country but sucks as a means of transport (except for in the Northeast) due to pro-car lobbying handicapping Amtrak. I know the situation is quite different in most EU countries, but the fallout could be similar.
I was left stranded by them with my wife, son and daughter (with autism) service was horrible, we missed our connexion in Paris, travelled to Spain on the floor. They compensated us with 8 euros (wow) discount for future tickets which I have not been able to cash because not always fails. On the way bsk to Brussels it was even worse. They never announced the train, a random passenger told us screaming like crazy (no announcement on the screens on Paris Nord)...noone from Thalys ever said anything,the train was almost empty, lots of people missed it. We had to run like crazy and lost some luggage.
Horrible service, very shameful company.
@@brugudel Sorry to hear of your experiences with Thalys. Rail companies, in the main, do not offer 'service recovery' as do the airlines. Yes I know the latter can also be bad but at least there is EU261 which offers some better compensation. There is no similar scheme (like EU261) for the rail industry within mainland Europe.
A few years ago I also experienced a nightmare journey whilst traveling from Rotterdam to Paris with Thalys. My train got cancelled out of nowhere, leaving me stranded at Rotterdam Central, with zero support from Thalys. I had to take the much slower NS International to Brussels-Midi, where I *would* be able to board a different Thalys train to Paris. That Thalys train had no seats left anymore, which resulted in me having to sit on a foldable chair for the remainder for the journey... Ever since that day, I have never been on board another Thalys train, and I never will be.
I travel Thalys regularly between Düsseldorf and Brussels, and it's usually great - clean, comfortable and punctual (which is often more than you can say for Deutsche Bahn by comparison). It's a shame you had such a bad experience - they ought to provide a partial refund since they provided no meal service. I usually travel in Comfort, and really like it. I do agree though that some of their trains do need some renovation, but others are mostly fine.
He mentioned they offered him a 20 euro voucher as an apology, which I think is a fair deal for no meal service.
@@monder1060 I don't really agree, if the ticket includes the cost of meal. If you paid for something and it wasn't provided, the cost of that service should be refunded. Vouchers are a cop-out.
The Germans maintain stuff.
@@jsrodman true … you got to buy another limited service ticket the next time.
The Thalys that go to Germany use newer trains. That might explain the difference.
The reason Bruxelles-Chapelle only sees 1 train per hour is congestion. With only 6 tracks, the line between Bxl-Midi en Bxl-Nord is the busiest in the country. All trains (except high speed) serve the 3 major stations (Midi, Central, Nord). The 2 smaller ones (Congres, Chapelle) can't be served more, because all other trains would be stuck behind. This part of the network already is the most vulnerable to delays, so they avoid extra stops.
Also notice all these stops are very close to each other. You can simpy walk to one of the 3 major stations.
‘Only’ 6 tracks.
@@OfficialRyanx That's not a lot consedering more than half of the country's IC services travel through this section. If you go there during rush hours, you'll often see 3 trains rolling side by side in the same direction.
That doesn't explain why there is no weekend service at all though, as there are much less trains running during the weekends.
@@ricohallo22 True. I guess Bxl-Congres is more of a commuter station with no real use during weekends. Chapelle is probably just not considered important enough. 😅
Interesting, thanks for sharing the information!
The strap behind the table ist for something, that guys your age may not know anymore, it was called "newspapers" and was very famous at the time these trains were lounged.
Yes, the Thalys fleet shows it's age here and there. I guess the fleet will undergoing a renovation shortly, because as far as I heared, the Thalys brand should disappear in some time, due to the merge with Eurostar.
I think you should ask to get the price differende between comfort and Premium back, because of no service.
The 20€ Voucher will not help you if you don't travel on Thalys more often. So they have to give the money back to your account, because they made misstrakes and didn't provide the service they promised.
Haha, so the strap held the newspaper? Didn't know that, thanks!
@@SuperalbsTravels A similar arrangement is also often used (in other places, possibly entirely different service types too, no idea bout this one) to distribute pamphlets (promotional and the like) by the company that opperates the train and/or the relevant governing body.
No, the current Thalys fleet will retire pretty soon with new units being announces short after the introduction of SNCF's new TGV units.
lounging and launching....to very different things mister travel fever...😂
What the heck is lounged?
You said Brussels has just 190,000 inhabitants. But the city of Brussels is part of the greater metropolitan area of the Brussels Capital Region, which is in fact one big urban area (one ‘city’ in fact to keep it simple) and has about 1.2 million inhabitants.
I think no train service beats Japan when it comes to service, time management, safety & quality. Hats off to them.
Yeah, the network in Japan is really good! 🥰
china
Japan is known for fast shinkansen trains (bullet) & stickler for cleanliness (even for regular Metro trains-no eating and drinking). Even streets, you can lie down without getting dirty. Stiff penalty for violators throwing trash, even cigarette butts (no smoking too unless in designated areas) and no trash bins on streets due to the terrorist bombings before. Bring your trash home (so always have a spare plastic) & throw it there or look for one in convenience stores but with segregation. Would you believe once the shinkansen trains stopped at end, crews meticulously prep and clean in 7 minutes! Training was stiff. So it's always clean.
@@victoriaaletaaustria2817 Everything works well when the citizens of a country themselves are disciplined. Forced discipline ( like the one being exhibited in China ) will have an impact only for a limited period of time. At the end of the day how cultured & well mannered you're will eventually show up in the absence of state control.
@@dihainthegreat China still has a long long way to go. By nature itself the Chinese are way behind the Japanese. The Japanese are far more polite & well behaved than the Chinese.
Oh my god, closed bar, flickering light, broken footrest and refunded meal, such a NIGHTMARE. Scared for life. How in the world did you survive this? So brave, you are a hero!
Thanks for the recognition of my extreme bravery and determination. 🙏
Well the service is promoted as being premium and it was 💩
First world problems, eh?
meal was not refunded. Also what does a coupon help when your hungry and does not get the meal you had been promised?
The last time I travelled with Thalys (in standard accommodation) I was sitting at the end of a coach and was aware of what to me seemed like a strong fishy smell; after travelling for about 1 hour I visited the toilet and realised the "fishy" smell was actually coming from the toilet. The toilet bowl was leaking and the floor was soaking wet with p**s. That pretty much put me off Thalys for life
Oh no, that sounds disgusting! I noticed a funny fishy smell in the galley area actually - but I didn't investigate further.
@@SuperalbsTravels Could it be that some kind of malfunction in the galley was the real reason for not feeding you?
@@maxart3392 They confirmed it was staffing, and the bar was shut too.
The design of the toilet system isn’t good, and Thalys has admitted it. There were even signs in the toilets explaining this. Cleaning personnel usually stay on the train ready to intervene in case of need.
Thalys is almost bankrupt as SNCF and DB
I think the reason of Thalys train conditions is because of overused. Due to the fyra delay and cancelation, this is the only high-speed service between Netherlands and Belgium. Normally Fyra can take customer and increase the number of train available. Will see when the coradia 200 will be in service in the next years
Thalys suffers from a chronicle under-investment, the trains show their age. That said, as you point out, the crew is the saving grace. I've been stuck twice abroad due to bad weather conditions and each time, I could rely on them to find a solution to go back home.
Yeah, the staff is great even though lately they have a staff shortage which is because of COVID literally everywhere nowadays so nothing they could do about it. I love the Thalys! The ICE is horrible.
I’m so surprised that government can’t run a train
@@MusicIsLegal Thalys can easily solve the staff problem: increase the salaries! That will quickly solve the problem.
What I found or felt was interesting, when you get to the Netherlands, was that the rails seem straight for most of the journey but dive and climb rapidly as you go up and under roads and canals at high speed. Particularly as the rails dive underground, you get the feeling that the train is about to lift off the rails!
Smoke less pot bro
Ah I remember that on Spanish train too. Its called grade. The trains have a grade.
Your video is a great example of good use of music in selective placement, selection, and volume variance. Bravo! Unlike so many videos that annoy with unselectively placed incessant music that just ruins the video and drives me and others away quickly.
We rode Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris several months ago and encountered some of the similar issues you had. The experience did not live up to what was promised when we booked. Customer service was also a nightmare. Not sure I'll ever travel with Thalys again unless I'm absolutely desperate.
Recommended or not, thalys is the only direct train that runs between NL and France. If you want another option you have to take the slower NS intercity to Brussels and then SNCF TGV to Paris or beyond.
Use a diesel car. Half the cost. That's recommended.
@@stevenmacdonald9619 honestly seeing the way sncf constantly fucks over international travelers we’d probably be in our right to do a few circles around place de la concorde in an old unfiltered diesel.
@@barthiddema3594 I can't think of anything these days that isn't a blatant rip-off. How disgraceful is it, when you pay a premium, just to be told, sorry, we won't be giving you that service you paid for? Yet more and more these companies get away with it. I wonder where it all ends, because it cannot continue in this way. People are treated like dirt.
Fly. It’s often cheaper and is quicker!
@@werewolflover8636 Not between Amsterdam and Paris it isn't lol. You forget to take into account the time needed to get to the airport, go through security, go through arrivals at the other end, and then get into the city center again. Thalys is absolutely faster than a flight. Only Amsterdam - London takes roughly about as long as flying into London.
Travelled Thalys Amsterdam - Brussels last summer - very comfortable and impressive in 2nd, better than Eurostar Brussels - London. Avanti London to Preston in 2nd class I rated 3rd. Overall Amsterdam to Preston in 7 hours is impressive and the overall travel experience was great.
I always loved travelling by thalys (Rotterdam-paris gare du nord)
eurostar is ruined by the stupid fucking border checks
We travelled a couple of years ago from Bordeaux to Brussels non-stop (brief driver change at Roissy) and had very good service, decent food and endless drinks, if we wanted them.
We were in Premier Class and paid in advance about what I remember as being 100e for the two of use, not bad.
It must be said that even then the trains were showing their age.
Glad you enjoyed your experience more than I did mine!
I once traveled with the Thalys and regretted it just as much. Had very much expected from the trains, but in the train I got greeted by a broken footrest, broken seat adjustment and dirty seat cushions.
They want to come across like a premium airline, but it's just bad. Unfortunately...
Agree, sounds similar to my trip. 😕
I'm a regular traveller on the Paris to Cologne route and I've very, very rarely had problems. Sure, the trains aren't the newest, but they are almost always on time, meal services are usually good and staff is usually friendly. Plus, Thalys is much cheaper than German rail services, for example. Very sorry to hear that you had a bad experience, but you should give them another shot sometime. It's usually pretty good.
love these videos keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
I used the Thalys for years regularly to get to Paris from Brussels. Occasionally the service dropped off - my last trip was 2021 - but staff shortages were very rare. Delays were more common owing to knock-on effects of other delays around Paris and Brussels. Thales also ran a "minus two" policy, owing to lack of trains and maintenance needs, which equates to saying that in any one day they try not to cancel more than 2 trains.
The tracks south of Brussels are dedicated to the high-speed lines BTW.
That small room - the idea is a meeting room which you can book. But you can always sit there if nobody comes to throw you out.
Thalys is one of the options if you travel from Brussels or Amsterdam to Paris, or vv. I use it often and its not a nightmare, its just a much better option than car or plane. And sometimes its a little broken...
True, the trains are old. Thalys is refurbishing them, following a redesign. I wonder why, they haven't ordered a fleet of Siemens Velaro train sets, and I think that will happen sooner or later, following the merger with Eurostar. But for me still, that's the right way of looking at things. You can take a TGV from BXL to PRS, but it will get you off at CDG. You can go to AMS with the classical train, which is okay and cheaper, but you will add an hour to the trip. For a full route between PRS and AMS, that's what you have. I was more worried about the heat problems, and the trains stopped or hours without opening doors.
Enjoyable vid, almost like being on the train myself 🙂 I have to say that your opinion of Thalys is shared by at least 6 other people that I know as well as by me. The 3 times I've used them the trains have been dirty and poorly staffed. In fact only on one occasion of the three was the bar open with a very limited stock. I try to stick to DB if at all possible.
I used Thalys from Rotterdam to Brussels last summer. Had a very similar disappointing experience. Very worn down train. No meal service. And if there was an announcement, I couldn’t here it because the announcements weren‘t loud enough to understand anything. (Actually the guy who I think was supposed to do the meal service was standing at the end of the cabin all the time and someone else went to him and got a coffee; not once he went through the wagon)
The worst part about it was how Thalys handled it afterwards. They insisted that according to their protocol, meals were indeed served. They basically expressed that I must be lying. And didn’t respond to further messages. It is a pain to click through their complaint forms and there is no way to contact them via phone to clear up such a "misunderstanding". I eventually gave up and didn’t get any compensation at all.
This video summarizes my frustration with them really well!
I experience Thalys recently between Bruxelles and Duisburg - in Comfort Class but without power for my laptop. Indeed, the trains that used to be the most luxurious in Europe, now are quite old and falling apart, and Thalys has a lot of problems with staff, too. And yes, what's the purpose of the rubber band you mentioned, hiding the screen of your mobile? Well, once upon a time, travellers had card tickets, and it was convenient to place them behind the said rubber band. Moreover, Thalys was the train offering WiFi - via satellite! maybe they still use that technology and that's why WiFi is slow.
I still travel Thalys whenever I can - maybe it's nostalgy?
Ohh, that sounds annoying...
I was so disappointed the first time I travelled on a TGV in France. I had travelled on the Shinkansen in Japan and Taiwan a lot and the TGV is so cramped in comparison (even when travelling first class). I think standard class on a Shinkansen has better leg room than first class on a TGV .. and the Japanese are not known for being super tall!
That's really cool, I'm excited to visit Japan!! 😃
Back in the 20th century, they used to have these things called newspapers. This is what you would put behind the strap to hold it while you were eating a meal. It could also hold other reading materials, strangely also made out of paper, like magazines and books.
Clearly a lot has changed. I did a trip with them in 2011, though we did have an emergency stop on my return trip. What a feeling!
Each may have their experience. I rode the thalys from amsterdam to paris the day before christmas. i bought 2nd class tickets months in advance so they were only 30 euros for the entire trip. the train was crowded, though the booking system meant there was a seat for every passenger. the seats were antiquated but very comfortable, and seeing the scenery buzz by at 300kmh was very fun. the cafe was open and i ended up regretting not buying parisian metro tickets from there when they advertised them to me, since i ended up having to line up for 20 minutes at the metro ticket machine in paris gare du nord. given my experience, i wouldn't hesitate to recommend the thalys to a friend or relative.
Watching the scenery buzz at such a speed gives me motion sickness
I used to do Paris-Brussels weekly. One time the train broke down at the edge of Paris - over an hour delay, the next train passed us) - and one time it was over three hours late setting off (IIRC something had collapsed or crashed onto the tracks) but most of the time it was fine.
I totally agree with this video. On top, you are lucky that you haven't experienced the often and notorious delays, which make you miss any connections that you might have on your follow up journey.
Great and honest review! I enjoy your voice, it is really calming! You've got my sub :)
Thank you very much, more content to come! :)
It used to be decent.
...10 years ago.
Though I remember traveling from Paris to Amsterdam.
...with a malfunctioning A/C stuck on full heat, during the peak of summer, and getting stuck along the way because something happened with the drive system, or something like that.
Really great.
I've always loved the colour of Thalys, but last year I tried the service again and realised I'd been looking at Thalys through ruby-red tinted glasses. You correctly mention it apears to be a premium brand, but it was nothing but disappointing on a number of levels. Hopefully things will change due to the merger with Eurostar. Great video.
Thanks, I really agree! :(
Dont know how the merger will improve service when eurostar and Thalys already had the same shareholders and Eurostar service has also gone south in the last 5 years. What is needed is competition. Lets see what Trenitalia and Renfe have to offer
Previously Thalys was probably the best service this part of Europe but it seems to have for sure deteriorated. And the Eurostar is not much better now.
yeah, whenever competition disappears via mergers the people always come out ahead. You either do have rosey glasses or have been so much luckier than I
If a merger is upcoming, investments tend to be delayed and they cut costs where they can, having a great profit before going into said merger, being worth quite alot more.
It's common in general, not sure if it applies here exactly
I did the Brussels to Amsterdam leg last year and agree on leg room, BUT the journey with Thalys was FAR better than the journey back from Amsterdam to London with Eurostar.
What's wrong with the leg room? At 6:38, it looks like there's about 20-30cm between his knees and the seat in front. How is that not enough? Even if you're most of a meter taller than him, your knees still wouldn't be touching the seat in front.
@@beeble2003 Its not only knee room, its to be able to stretch you legs more.
Superb video with in-depth review
Thank you!
It's been a few years since I've been in Europe, but Thalys was always my go-to choice where available. Sorry to hear that their service is no longer up to snuff. I never had a bad experience.
I travelled from Amsterdam to Paris via Thalys in December 2021. I didn't see the problems with the equipment that you did. I had a seat like yours, but with the table. I don't remember a meal service… I probably didn't select that? My first high-speed rail trip. The most difficult thing for me was finding the proper platform at Amsterdam Central, and that's probably because I'm an American who's not used to train travel. :) Thank you for the travelogue!
Calling not being fed on a train a nightmare is a very very big stretch
Almost exactly the same distance as London to Newcastle. Trains may not travel at 300 kph but timings can be 10 minutes shorter (2h 48m) than the Thalys to Rotterdam. Prices with a railcard, booked in advance, can be as low as £24 in standard and £54 in first, with complimentary food served at the seat. Thalys have, like Eurostar to UK pulled their direct trains from Disney. This trip would now take 40 mins to over an hour more, with 1-2 connections but no reduction in price.
My spouse and I travelled via Thalys from Amserdam to Paris last summer. The service and food was exceptional. So much so I had less time look out of the window enjoying the speed, smoothness and view. Yes the interior felt and looked ready for a re-do. And we did not attempt a toilet time either. Good and plentiful food does much to smooth over frayed expectations.
Something that the US Navy knows well. "Take all you want, eat all you take".
Wish I could have tried the food really. :(
Lucky you... I never ever had such a nice experience as you....
I travelled on Thalys somewhere arond 2016, and my ticket supposedly included an access code for the on-board WiFi. The code didn't work, and the staff was unable to do anything about it - not even a replacement code or anything. I wasn't the only one with this issue either. I don't think the bar was open either. So much for premium service... even back then.
I hate those silly WiFi networks that need passcodes. Thankfully, they don't use then on Thalys anymore.
@@SuperalbsTravels Ah, that's good to hear. Not even in second class?
@joepie91 Not sure about second, but I highly doubt it.
The PBKA fleets main technical difference is that the PBA fleet only uses 25kV - 50Hz AC ((and 1,5kV and 3kV DC for the classic routes) overhead wires. Where as trains operating to Germany (and with the shared electrical systems: Austrian and Swiss networks) need electrical equipment capable of 16 kV -16,7 Hz. The PBKA is although annother TGV design by alstom
Yeah with a similar but slightly different cab shape! :)
Great video, Superlbs; sorry to hear about Thalys being so mediocre in service.
BTW, I wanted to ask: when are you coming to Canada to take our trains (national and regional)?
Canada is not planned yet, but I do want to visit some day. :)
Thanks!
Just returned from a European trip. Noticed that the taxis have seat belts, the tour buses have seat belts. The airplanes, of course, have seat belts to protect you from the rare turbulence that could kill an unrestrained passenger. BUT - the high-speed trains do not offer seat belts! Obviously the risk of a derailment or collision is low, but if it happens, you would become a 140 MPH projectile within the train car (or through the window)..... I would not mind keeping a seat belt loosely around my waist during the trip - and was disappointed not to have that option.
A seatbelt won't help. It would just... Make your death more peculiar at that speed
Back in 2007 we tried to buy a train ticket from Amsterdam to Basel. The ticket line was over 2.5hrs of a wait and it was impossible to get a price for this ride. So after a long wait they told us that the cheapest one way ticket was 198 Euros and despite that we asked at the Dutch railways there was also a 39 Euro booking fee on top of it. We ended up buying an Easyjet ticket for 139 Euros. Similar situations are on the Channel Tunnel and the English strait ferries: Same day return fares are less than 40% of a one way fare. But nowadays one must pay with a disposable eftpos card. If a full credit card is used they will attempt to after charge for breach of contract if the return part is not being travelled with.
I can’t wait to try out the new Thalys train after the interior makeover! It looks amazing!
This video pretty much describes the condition of every train ride I have ever taken. When I was a kid I would take the Brighton-London high speed train which was a pretty famous steam engine heated by coal. You quickly learned where the tunnels were because you had to close the cabin window before entering the tunnel as otherwise your cabin would get filled with coal smoke.
Lol I remember that line. Changing carriages whilst it was in motion was a life threatening adventure.
I remember those days. The trains were much more comfortable than modern trains and you didn't need a mortgage to buy a ticket.
I took the Thalys Comfort class from Rotterdam to Brussels last week. Similar age train as you took, which must be around 30 years old, maybe refurbished once already. No wonder it's a little worse for wear. Still quite comfortable tho. Shame about the meal service for you, but at least they offered the voucher.
Yeah, it was definitely comfortable! That's something they really do get right. :)
Jeez, how generous, you got a bottle of water as your catering! At least you got 20 Euro compensation, and the train appeared to run more or less to time.
I know right! ☹️
That's sad to hear/see, my wife and i travelled to Paris from the Netherlands in 2017 with the Thalys train and found it to be a really good experience overall.
I hope you had a good meal in Rotterdam!
I travelled with the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris back in October 2021 (regular class) and the experience was so bad that I genuinly thought to myself I'd have rather flown Ryanair! I think that says something 😅. Everything felt incredibly cramped, I had barely any space in my seat and the temperature inside the carriage was so hot that it was nearly unbearable (and bear in mind that we still had to wear masks too at the time 😬). I spent most of the ride in the corridor of the train (idk what that area is called in English) because at least there it wasn't so hot and somehow those tiny foldable chairs felt more comfortable than the regular ones. On the way back I caught the 6am train and by the time I felt ready for breakfast at 7 they were already out of breakfast food and only served savoury sandwiches, which I did not feel like having that early in the morning. In addition the train was massively delayed too both times. I'll definitely think twice before taking the Thalys again! And your experience, in premium class no less, confirms to me that it wasn't just me, it appears to be a more structural problem 🙃
The word you're looking for is 'vestibule'. It's quite a rare word! 😅
And shame to hear you had a similar experience to me...
@@SuperalbsTravels thank you! I've actually never heard that word before, so I couldn't have guessed it haha
@@slayjae Happy to help! 😅
Something similar happened to me on my Trenitalia trip a few weeks ago. There was a catering mishap in Paris, so we didn't have any kind of food until Lyon, and only snacks there until Milan. I couldn't have a proper meal, but I least I wasn't in executive class! I'm still waiting on a partial refund...
Sounds annoying! At least you got something though, and I hope you get your refund.
Catering failures are notorious in Paris now. Supply chain management is definitely not their strength.
Yeah that was a bit sad with the general deterioration of the interior fittings. Back in 2002 I traveled from Aachen to Paris return on the Thalys and was pretty impressed.
I can only agree to your video... I have travelled the Amsterdam - Paris Gare du Nord many times. The trains were generally dirty, many broken items, too hot or very cold. Did not have your premium tickets so was left with narrow and cramped seats (2+2 arrangement), lack of leg room (1m90 tall) due to channel for cables, wifi only led to on-board net, no food, no drinks... expensive compared to driving with 2 persons and even taking more time as the beginning and end point where too far from my start and destination address, I was so fed up and gave up. Since then I either drive by car or fly. Thalys is one of the reasons I truly have come to HATE public transport: starting from an impossible place (Amsterdam) going to where to do not want to be (Gare du Nord), oh and also for being robbed in the Paris station (yup) and having to deal with near to criminal taxi drivers at Gare du Nord (another time the Uber driver was actually scared of them and did not want to pick me up at the station).
"faded glory" comes to mind. It looks like it was once a very slick and stylish train/service, but it has become very tired. Good to know they're going to refurbish the interiors. It seems long overdue. I just hope they keep the soft seats. As for "nightmare", that seems a bit clickbaity to me. Annoying yes, but it's hardly a match for that Eastern European (was it Bulgarian?) trip you had where you were like a whole day late. LOL
You may have been unlucky. I've travelled on Thalys trains a few times, and they've always been fine. I even had afternoon tea served on one trip (I must have been travelling in Premium, I suppose). Hopefully the refurbishment will sort out the problems you encountered.
Wow, afternoon tea sounds nice! 🥰
You are given a full meal during meal times and a snack + drinks at other times.
@@andressorin1205 I can't remember precisely what was of offer, but my recollection is tea or coffee and cake.
So what alternative service would one use for that route? Is there any other high speed service, from either Marne-la-valle or even Paris besides Thalys in that market?
I travel 2 times a month between rotterdam and brussels. I always take the cheapest fair on the dutch belgium international sprinter instead of the talys because its less than half the talys price. You dont get any service but always buy some food at the stations😅
If he thinks this was a nightmare, he should never ride on Amtrak
lol
Lmao 😂
Amtrak is comfortable and clean in my experience but slow. Same times as going by car most times 😊
I take Thalys every month and it's so strange to see a bad review about them. They are always bang on time, fast, clean, and the staff is very friendly. But yea, there is no difference between 1st and 2nd class and it is super expensive in case you can't book 3 months in advance.
The other day, there was a loud bang on the trip between Paris and Brussels. The train was't able to continue to journey from Brussels due to a necessary inspection. On a 30 min notice, there was a new train waiting at the station, they guided a full train to the replacement one, and we left with only a 3 min delay. If you've taken a train in Germany or the UK, your mind would be blown too. 😂
In the UK the train company would tell you to go f**k yourself and only give you half the price of the ticket back.
pure utter luck. Last winter we took the Thalys to Brussels. There was a major breakdown at Brussels station and no train was allowed in. We stopped at Noorderkempen just after the border. The most smallest station in the middle of nowhere you can imagine.
We stood there for an hour, hardly any information. One hour later the options were. Take a bus to antwerp and figure it out yourself or go back to breda and figure it out for yourself.
Long story short: One good meal, three beers and three hours later the schedule resumed. Could we take the Thalys? No, it was still not running on schedule, we were forced to take the slower, cheaper international train without getting our money back, because the thalys was officially running at that time and I just had to agree to arriving after midnight.
Trains and many other things in the UK are blighted by staff shortages and it seems like we are not alone.
Yep, there are problems in many other places too, of varying degrees!
Your presentation is a simple one that I appreciate.
Greetings from India.
Hi there. Thanks for your video.
My view on Thalys is split too. Overall it started out great (like 25 years ago) and went downhill all the way.
Of course when everything works out you may have a nice ride but quite often many problems occure.
Among these:
The route between (West Germany) Cologne and Paris used to provide many more trains/connections per day than they do now. It got down to 4 trains daily. When they started out it was almost hourly between early morning and late evening.
As a result the capacity went down: Either you buy your ticket long before or you stay home as the few connections are sold out.
More over SNCF seems to see Thalys as a way of not offering the best working conditions. I mean ...as a public company, for what other reason do you need a private subsidiary?
As a result staff is fed up and that's why you don't see service.
That didn't change with the Eurostar merger as Eurostar itself is mostly owned by SNCF.
More over customer service regarding ticketing: To "celebrate" the merger with Eurostar there were offers for some time to purchase special tickets to London from any Thalys station, there was even a newsletter advertising it. Thing is though: You couldn't buy it. The mask on their homepage never accepted that connection.
In the past Thalys accepted normal tickets by federal railways too (as they were heavily involved in Thalys), now they don't. You always need a separate ticket.
Overall the whole affair is not really accessable anymore - which is a shame for connections between huge cities on a fast network.
It really is an irritating service!
When did Thalys accept regular tickets? I'm Dutch and I grew up with Thalys and at least here in the Netherlands they never accepted regular tickets. I think you're confused with the IC Amsterdam - Berlin, which does accept regular tickets, but you can't sit on reserved seats.
@@OneKnifeYeHand Hey Heimen :)
Nono, that was a thing. I am not sure though if something like this existed between Amsterdam and Brussels (never used the Thalys there).
Between Cologne and Aachen on the other hand Thalys accepted regular DB-tickets back in the days. That was ... oh ... I'd say 97-2015.
As there is no mandatory obligation for a reservation in Germany, the very last 2nd class coach could be used without a reservation between Aachen and Cologne, although that always created problems and didn't exist all through 97-2015. You needed an ICE-level-ticket though and not just any ticket.
Long gone .. :)
We didn't get gourmet meals on our premium service either. I think your journey was on schedule, and apart from the meals, quite comfortable. Our trip from Brussels to Amsterdam in mid December took 9 hours because the train broke down near Zemst due to black ice on the transmission lines. Fortunately there was heating. There was just enough transmission power to keep this working. We ended up being transferred to a slow diesel service to Rotterdam, then we had to catch the local train into Amsterdam. Now that should have been a real nightmare journey, but we joked our way through it. We even had the mayor of Zemst arrive to help the passengers off the train. She didn't have to do that. Staff shortages are unfortunately part and parcel of this post Covid era. I wish we had known about the direct service from Marne La Vallée.
“Staff shortages are unfortunately part and parcel of this post Covid era.”
Except not really. At least here in the Netherlands, bus and train companies were already dealing with staff shortages way before Covid. Covid only made it worse, but the shortages were already there.
Indeed a very beautiful station, Antwerp central. I've been to a hotel right beside it, had to go inside to check the station out of course :) it's an amazing design
Brussels population is mostly fictive, the population living in Brussels officially is only a small part of the crowd working and commuting everyday in town. At some point that fictive population reached 80%, so basically you can multiply by a factor of 4 the actual number of people being in the city during the day. Also Brussels is sometimes limited to the Bruxelles Ville, which is the center, so not counting all the area around the town. I lived there for 15 years, and my experience was to be in an overcrowded area during the day, and a close to ghost town after everyone left from 7-8pm.
It’s so sad to see that you had such a bad experience 😢
They are usually extremely good when I’ve travelled with them. Then only thing I’d complain about is their punctuality, but it was just one bad experience for me!
I’d say try them again at some point and I hope you’ll be able to get a much better ride!
Let's be totally clear: this guy did not have a bad experience; his meal was not served. That's it. He arrived ahead of schedule, in a train with clean bathrooms. He gave much too much weight to quite a number of highly unimportant things in order to justify his 'verdict' "nightmare journey". It very much looks like his judgement was already made way before he came aboard the train.
@@klaasvanmanen8214 There is even a good explenation why it was not served, no staff. France has been striking for a while and train personnel are a big part of these actions.
As for me, the best high speed service I tried was the Silence Area of Frecciarossa, which is just amazing and has a good level of service
Excellent, they are pretty nice trains I agree! :)
Nice video. I have traveled on Thalys a decade ago from Paris to Brussels in premium class. It was very nice with good service. Sad to hear that their standard has dropped..
At least you got the voucher, but it’s a small comfort when you expect something to eat.
I have occasionally paid for premium tickets for the food benefits. When I lived in the UK, it was not uncommon to find a first class ticket with only marginally higher price in first and included food. Then it was an easy choice when taking a slightly longer trip as the need to procure a meal was already catered to. I would be similarly disappointed if I didn’t get my meal, not only due to plummeting blood sugar. And the state of the carriages was sad. Hopefully the refurbished trains will be at least as nice as the old interiors when they were new.
You seem to have hit an exceptional bad day, and while I admit no train operator is always perfect, but I really never had this kind of experience on Thalys but only good experience, and I’m using it quite regularly, even so as recent as a couple of weeks ago. Good luck with finding alternative operators on that route though🤣
When did you travel? I couldn’t find that info.
SNCF runs TGV service from Brussels to Marne-la-Vallée to Marseille though. And NS/SNCB runs service from Brussels to Amsterdam but it's gonna be slower
Plenty of options, the only real difficult bit is Paris-Brussels, but there are ways around that too.
This video was filmed in September 2022!
I have never had s good experience with Thalys. The best I've had is an OK day. So no,this was not particularly bad at all.
Myself, plus a couple of colleagues traveled back from Cologne to Brussels, 10 days ago. The train was packed - not really surprising, being a Friday, but the journey was smooth and comfortable.
There are staff shortages all over Europe, including the UK, and because of this our hotel in Cologne, was unable to provide breakfast.
Increase salaries, and voila, no more staff shortages.
Just found your channel and really enjoying your videos :)
I travel regularly to Brussels and my issue with Thalys is the constant delay. In the last two years I had not one train with less delay than 15 minutes and in several occasions delay over an hour. Therefore, I usually take the TGV coming from Strasbourg or the NL Intercity from/to Amsterdam. The later is even not bound to a train and much more flexibel.
Great video. It seems like a case of what might have been. The service promised so much but delivered little.
Thanks! I agree, it was such a shame. Thalys could be incredible, but it falls far short of that accolade.
As a matter of fact, I am not even surprised by your review.
It's been a few years since Thalys service went down.
Indeed, a few months ago I travelled from Brussels to Paris Nord in Premium and I encountered the same bad surprises as you. For a "premium" ticket, it was a shame. And, moreover, Thalys customer service refused to payback me for this awful trip until I insisted again and again.
And, since Eurostar bought Thalys, prices increased but service is still the same. Even worst since they introduce "comfort" class about 3 years ago. Before that, "Premium service" was offered to any 1st class passenger.
It's so annoying when that happens. I hope Eurostar isn't made worse by merging with Thalys.
I once rode Thalys from Koln to Paris. It was absolute heaven after the non-airconditioned DB sauna train I took from Hamburg to Koln the previous day.
The elastic strap is for magasines, book or newspapers. Also, food sold in a train are never cheap, it's better to get food before.
I really like Thalys (though I think I'd also tell other people to avoid them had I ever had a journey with them like you had) and use them occasionally, but I'm quite pessimistic about their future. Their interior (and honestly trains in general) is really old, but the new interior puts even more seats into trains with already little space. It's also still pretty unclear if the merged company will combine both operators strengths or their weaknesses.
Fair enough, thanks for watching! :)
I also have my doubts about the merger. Eurostar is more expensive than Thalys and Thalys has a rather flexible policy on refunds and exchanges. Let’s hope it continues like that. One can hope for the best if RENFE starts servicing this line…
I agree, there's no excuse for the missing catering and the voucher isn't acceptable: it actually forces you to take the same service another time even if you decide not to do so. Immediate cash refund would be the only fair solution. As to the refurbishment, I wouldn't be too optimistic about it: be it train or plane, it usually comes with harder seats and even less legroom (but maybe with an extra row of the seats in the car) and maybe you were even lucky to be one of the last passengers sitting comfortably in the old seat (even if a bit run down).
They have got a lot of extra seats to be fair, so I'm not sure how the legroom is affected!
The Antwerp station is one of the most beautiful I've ever. Thanks for posting.
Glad you liked it! :)
Another awesome video
Thanks! :)
Last time (late summer 2022) I took a trip on Thalys was a day trip with my son from Germany to Paris in Premium. According to marketing you should receive one light meal and one gourmet menu on the outward and return journey. On the outward journey the second (light meal) was not as advertised in the menu and didn’t really taste well. The choice of drinks was very limited. The train also had a delay of 90 mins. But overall it was OK. It was the return journey after an exhausting day of sightseeing with my elementary school aged son that really made me mad at Thalys as we were both hungry. As the RER barriers at Gare du Nord would not open with our tickets (although valid) we were in a hurry before departure and could not stock anything. Shortly after departure the service started as usual. Until the row before ours everyone was served with a full meal and even was asked for a choice. From exactly our row ownwards without any comment or explanation everyone was only served a small cake (the „light“ meal) and that was it. Even after explaining rather politely, that my son was hungry (as was I) there was just a rude answer, that they had no meals loaded in Paris. Imagine having a young, hungry boy sitting next to you seeing and smelling the food from the other passenger in the rows before you and getting a sweet cake instead of anything substantial! Inwentvtontje bistro and bought (additionally to the high premium fares) some chocolates as no substantial sandwiches or anything was available. The passengers with the meals left the train in Brussels, we had to go for another three hours (plus the usual delay, I think it was like half an hour) without any service!
Very disappointing! Yes, it is a first world problem, but always remember the meals are more or less the only difference between Comfort and Premium classes. That was a really frustrating experience!
Sounds very poor! Hope you got something tasty when you arrived!
This is absolutely insane. You say it's a first world problem (and it is) BUT looking at how much everything in the first world costs, you indeed expect to get something in return for you rmoney. And they want us to stop flying and start using rail more and more, well, better get this fixed then.
Keep in mind. There are new terms being used in Belgium that uses just English. Instead of SNCB on 2:34, they prefer to call it The B, and on 2:46 it's Brussels-South (Dutch speakers will trigger much). Belgium had become more sensitive with language these days, even their football association had to be renamed entirely in English as Royal Belgium FA.
Thank you for the tip!
" on 2:46 it's Brussels-South (Dutch speakers will trigger much)" il y a deux communautés linguistiques principales en Belgique. Les francophones disent Bruxelles-Midi et les néerlandophones Brussel-Zuid. Flemings put Bergen when it is Mons, and Wallons put Anvers when it is Antwerpen. On the bigger ring motorway around Bruxelles for years in the 90's the city of Lille was not showing on the directions signs but Rijsel .... Donc ce qui est quoi est tout un débat complexe. English is not used as an intermediary, neutral-like pidgin, because walloons don't use it mostly. And also because english language is itself not neutral: Munich instead of München, Rome instead of Roma, the way they butcher the pronunciation of Paris and much more.
Dans la gare de Bruxelles-Midi on peut très bien avoir le quai d'où part le train pour Tournai avec l'affichage Doornik ou le train pour Kortrijk sous Courtrai ....
@@minutte Belgium is a complicated country 🤣😂🤣😂
@@daylightdaylight6612 somewhat ...I lived in the areas Lille/Ieper/Tournai ten years .... But then in Switzerland, in Bellinzona, Ticino, where the language is dominantly italian, i experienced to ask something in a shop in french and got answer in german, which is no problem as I know enough of it, but then you see.... then Spain/Catalonia, Finland with swedish, etc (Ukraine ....)
@@daylightdaylight6612 Except that Rijsel (Lille), which he mentioned, is in Northern France. (Yes, there's a Lille in Belgium too, but that one's not called Rijsel).
15:46 Definitely has some 1970's charme to it in a positive way :D
So if the bar has been replaced by a vending machine, as I discoverd on the picture you showed in this vending machine it is not an upgrade but a downgrade in service. So no hot snack anymore.
This reminds me of the Southern Pacific who once also reformed their restaurant cars on their trains and placed vending machines in those cars as well.
Yes, that interior is definitely quite tired looking. Glad to hear the interiors are being renewed and refreshed now - though personally, I'd like to see more brand integration between Thalys & Eurostar (Common livery or corporate colours, common seat design and service/class offering etc.)
As for the meal service? I completely understand your disappointment. Here, in the UK, I know it has been very difficult post-brexit and post-covid for TOCs to recruit hospitality staff for their services. I wonder if the latter (COVID) has had a similar impact on European operators.
Thanks for watching! :)
There are huge staffing issues everywhere it seems.
I've only used Thalys once from Amsterdam to Brussel last summer. Could not agree more the interior was decidedly tired in need of a revamp.
There isn't really much competition on their (most important) Brussels-Paris route, unfortunately. I think this route could be a great opportunity for open access operators.
I definitely think that a new company could offer good competition, after all it's a busy route.
Privatisation like in the UK? It only made things worse...
"Competition" also means companies that will have cheaper trains that are less maintained. If one breaks down somewhere, all companies will suffer. You can only have so many tracks to drive on!
I was on the Thalys from Cologne to Paris over Bruxelles and the service was ok, but due to a technical problem we had to get off in some station in Bruxelles and had to wait over 180 minutes before we finally were able to continue our journey. I don't know if this was the fault of the Thalys team or due to other issues in the rail network, but this wasn't a pleaseant experience too.
By what I saw of the other passengers, it seemed that the Comfort class was busier than the Premium class.
Now, does this mean that more & more travelers have suffered the same fate as you have or, was it just a matter of budget for some?
Also, not knowing the cost of the Comfort class, I cannot judge if the $20. voucher was sufficient. Plus, as the ticket was purchased way in advance, could one enquire as to the service upon boarding & therefore make adjustments accordingly?
The Thalys is great. I took this train at least 20 times in my life
Fair enough, glad you enjoy it! :)
It appears that not only did not not provide any service, they did not even know such would be the case before Brussels when they made the announcement.
That seemed to be the case!
Three hours, three countries. > I've travelled Eurostar several times, London to Paris, Lon to Lille and Lon to Brussels. A few years ago now, so it was from Waterloo, pre HS1. Very scenic in the UK!
@TheClunkingFist: actually right on top of the Vaalserberg you have a border between Germany, Netherlands (its the highest 'mountain' for them) and Belgium. You can circle within seconds through three countries all the time. At the Bodensee (Obersee) you have also a 3 country border (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) AND 5 different states within those three countries, because there are also borders between on the German side Bavaria/Baden Wuertemberg, on the Austrian side Vorarlberg and on the Swiss side the cantons Thurgau und St. Gallen = moving a bit around can get you travel fast between several countries and several states ...
As soon as you said Eurostar I know the on-board service and maintenance would be a problem. As for the good will E20 voucher, you should have a part refund of your ticket.
My own experience of Thalys has been good though, apart from the lack of service.
The new interiors don't look as good as those they are replacing.
Sure this wasn't amazing but I wouldn't go as far as calling that a "nightmare journey". Especially since you experienced no delays. The fact that there wasn't any meal service is certainly annoying and so is the poor condition of various aspects of the train. And Thalys is just overpriced in general.
I don't mean to gatekeep your experience but compare that to a journey I took on a DB ICE a few years back. The overhead wire collapsed onto the train while we were stopped in Wiesbaden. Which cut the power = no aircon on a hot summer day. But we also couldn't leave the train as there was a live electric wire laying on it. For some reason it took them an hour to finally ground the train so they could open the doors and let us exit withou getting electrocuted.
But I still needed to get to my final destination somehow. As did hundreds of other passengers.
Wiesbaden station had ONE information kiosk staffed with TWO people to help passengers get to where they needed to go. At least that's what they were supposed to do. When I was finally at the front after almost an hour of waiting in line, they basically told me "I don't know, just look for a different connection to Düsseldorf I guess"
Excuse me?
You're the one who is employed here to help me get to my final destination in case of a train breakdown any you can't even be bothered to do that for me?
Oh, and they also closed the information kiosk right on time at 9 pm, while a lot of lost passengers were still in line. Thanks for nothing.
In the end, I did get to Düsseldorf with a combination of various other train connections I put together myself but I shouldn't have to do that after asking for assistance at the information kiosk.
My final delay into Düsseldorf was over five hours. Longer than the trip between Munich and Düsseldorf itself. That was an actual nightmare journey.
But hey, at least I got 50% of my money back. After more annoying bureaucracy.
That sounds really bad. I've certainly had similar in the past (involving Thalys too actually), so I understand your pain!