In 1996 a new type of TGV has been put into operations. This is owned by a new, private company, the Thalys. When the train has been put into operations in 1996 the trains drove from Paris to Brussel, some drove to Amsterdam and some to Liège.

Since June 1997 the Thalys also drives to the Disneylnd in Paris in decembre of the same year the first part of the high speed track Paris - Brussel has been put into operations. According to this there was a journey time of only one and half an hour between Paris and the Belgian capital. In the same time the network has been expanded very much, since then trains also drive to Köln, Oostende, Zeebrugge, Namur and other towns.

Since 1998 some Thalys trains also drive to the French Alps which are so connected with Belgium and the Netherlands.

      -> www.thalys.com