Hope Bonnhoff, Palenque German rail correspondent reports:
That DB, the German Railways, is in negotiations to buy a stake in the operation of the Thalys train company, which operates Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam/Cologne high-speed rail services (as well as limited service Low Countries to Eurodisney)
Currently Thalys is owned by the SNCF (French railways) at 70% and the Belgian Railways (SNCB/NMBS) at 30%. However, both DB and NS (Netherlands Railways) currently own some Thalys train sets.
The settlement is said to be an attempt to settle the lingering problem of DB wishing to provide thru operation of ICEs into Paris. The SNCF has scotched any attempts of having ICEs running between Brussels and Paris. DB has apparently dropped its demand to have ICEs running to Paris and the opportunity to buy into Thalys is apparently a salve to them to smooth ruffled feathers. A complicating factor for DB wishes was that tests on French tracks with ICEs were called a disaster as the trains threw up track ballast, damaging the under carriages of the trains.
A new joint SNCF/DB venture to operate the Paris-Frankfurt/Stuttgart service over the new LGV Est high speed line was recently announced so that DB ICE trains will finally reach Paris! (Assuming the ballast blasting aspect will be solved!)

Boy PalQ - you must be having a slow day ;-)

I could complain about the VAT tax i have to pay with Thalys tickets!

You could....but you wouldn't would you?

or even the VAT that you have to pay for your anorak

"In Britain, anorak is also a somewhat pejorative term for people whose interests are perceived to be nerdy, or who have more expertise in some arcane topic than seems altogether rational; the usage comes from the popularity of anoraks and parkas among train spotters"
Good one Wombat - had to Wikipedia it though before i chuckled - really good one! Thank God to Global Warming i won't need my anorak in UK anymore!

It is a great word - another personal fac is "pillock" - for which I note there is no Wiki page - now there is a project. But I would not classify you as a pillock. To save you Googling the word it means idiot - but sounds so much better. In particular it is useful for people who cause gridlock because they didn't wait until the exit was clear befroe entering the junction.

I'd say train spotters are pillocks for sure - writing down train head code numbers - for what reason - so they can have 'spotted' every train in UK. That said my favorite train spotting stations are
1- Clapham Junction, Britain's self-acclaimed busiest rail station and a hotbed of anorak-sporting spotters, theremos of coffee (or something harder?) at their side.
2- London Bridge - i like to sit way at the front of the platform where they merge - constant trains limping in and out!
3- York's National Rail Museum, which has a special spotters nest overlooking the very busy Eastern Main Line.