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A luxury train is a premium passenger rail service. Some luxury trains promote tourism in destinations across a region, while others (such as the Maharajas' Express ) take passengers on a ride through a single country. Luxury trains include restaurants, bars, bathrooms, and sleeping and seating areas.
George Pullman's first sleeping car, the Pioneer, was introduced in 1865 in the United States and was followed two years later by "hotel cars". [1] It was the first railway carriage with dining and sleeping areas. [2]
Georges Nagelmackers founded the French Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, creator of the Orient Express . Inspired by Pullman trains in the US, Nagelmackers returned to Europe and built a fleet of over 30 luxury trains that traveled to several European destinations.[ citation needed ] He is credited with beginning the age of luxury trains and grand hotels.[ citation needed ] The Orient Express, setting of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express , was Europe's first luxury train. It began its maiden journey on 5 June 1883 from Paris' Gare de l'Est. Although the original Orient Express ceased operation in 2009, private operators and public–private joint ventures provide luxury train travel in several countries. [3]
According to Belmond [4] (formerly known as Orient Express Hotels), [5] the company operates the highest number of luxury train tours in the world. With service in Europe, Asia, and South America, Belmond is the only private luxury tour provider (with the exception of Russia's Golden Eagle Trans Siberian Express) to offer continental or intercontinental service. [6]
The Venice-Simplon Orient Express , with service from London to Venice, was voted the top luxury train in the world in 2009. [7] The Royal Scotsman offers service across Scotland and, occasionally, the rest of Britain. The Belmond Grand Hibernian began operations in Ireland on 30 August 2016. [8]
The Eastern and Oriental Express runs from Bangkok to Singapore (via Kuala Lumpur) and to Vientiane. Covering over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) [9] of peninsular Southeast Asia, its two-day journey includes frequent stops at scenic locations. [10]
The Belmond Andean Explorer services the Peruvian cities of Arequipa to Cusco in vice versa [11] and the Belmond Hiram Bingham , named after the explorer who rediscovered the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, runs from the Sacred Valley to the landmark.
British Pullman cars were formerly used on the Brighton Belle out of London Victoria station. [12]
Northern Belle is a privately owned luxury train introduced in 2000. It consists primarily of British Rail Mark 2 coach stock, refurbished internally and painted externally to resemble the Brighton Belle's British Pullman coaches. Buffet cars are British Rail Mark 1 coaches. Although the train primarily operates in Northern England and Scotland, it also serves London and Bristol. The train has two British Rail Mark 3 sleeper coaches for its crew. [13] It departs from a number of northern cities, including Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Manchester. The Northern Belle has six dining cars, named after historic British houses. [14]
Spain's state-owned network of luxury trains is operated by Renfe Viajeros and runs from March to October on scheduled and charter trips. The main routes cross northern Spain and Andalusia, with special tours throughout the peninsula.[ citation needed ]
The oldest tourist train in Spain (operating since 1983), the Transcantábrico , uses original 1923 Pullman coaches. [15]
Between 1950 and 1969, Swedish State Railways operated the luxury train service Sunlit Nights Land Cruises, which ran from Stockholm to northern Sweden and primarily targeted foreign tourists. [16]
The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express began operation in April 2007 and takes passengers on a 6,000-mile (9,656 km) trip (the world's longest train journey) [6] across two continents and eight time zones. It follows the Trans-Siberian Railway, which connects Moscow and European Russia with the Russian Far East, Mongolia, China, and the Sea of Japan.
Rocky Mountaineer is a Canadian company that operates trains touring the Canadian Rockies and the northwestern U.S. Via Rail sold off its Rockies by Daylight scenic train to Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (which became Rocky Mountaineer) in 1990. The company operates four routes. [17] [18]
The Royal Canadian Pacific is a luxury overnight passenger train based in Calgary, Canada. The train has a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth. It makes charter runs along CP tracks in summer and fall, taking passengers into the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia. A typical six-day, five-night round trip runs through the Columbia River valley and Crowsnest Pass. The train halts at night to enable passengers to enjoy the scenery. It consists of up to ten luxury passenger cars (built between 1916 and 1931), two fully restored 1950s locomotives, [19] and a booster unit.
Seven Stars in Kyushu [20] is a deluxe sleeping-car excursion train that has toured the island of Kyushu since October 2013. Its name derives from Kyushu's seven prefectures and the train's seven cars. [21] The train has a piano, bar, suites, a mini-kitchen, a crew room, shower rooms, and toilets. It offers two- and four-day round trips, departing from Hakata Station. The two-day tour visits Nagasaki, Aso, and Yufuin, and the four-day journey visits Yufuin, Miyazaki, Miyakonojō, Hayato, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kagoshima, Aso, and Bungo-Mori.
Luxury trains in India include the Palace on Wheels , Deccan Odyssey , Golden Chariot , Maharajas' Express , and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels . [22]
The Blue Train , covering about 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) between Pretoria and Cape Town, is South Africa's oldest and best-known luxury train service. Transnet Freight Rail runs the Blue Train, also between Pretoria and Cape Town. Rovos Rail operates the Pride of Africa service, which runs between South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania.
The Ghan , a luxury train, runs 2,979 kilometres (1,851 miles) through the heart of the Australian continent, from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. [23] The Indian Pacific is a long-distance train connecting Sydney on the east coast, with Perth on the west coast. [24]
The Orient Express was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, with terminal stations in Paris in the northwest and Istanbul in the southeast, and branches extending service to Athens, Brussels, and London.
A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car, sleeping car or observation. Beginning in 1945, dome cars were primarily used in the United States and Canada, though a small number were constructed in Europe for Trans Europ Express service.
Folkestone West railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the western area of Folkestone, Kent. It is 69 miles 22 chains (111.5 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. All trains that call are operated by Southeastern.
The Rocky Mountaineer is a Canadian rail-tour company based in Vancouver that operates luxury scenic trains on four rail routes in British Columbia, Alberta, Colorado, and Utah.
The Belmond Royal Scotsman is a Scottish overnight luxury train, started in 1985 by GS&WR, and run since 2005 by Belmond Ltd. Its itineraries include 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- or 7-night journeys around the Scottish Highlands, visiting castles, distilleries and historic sites. Once each year, it also makes a 7-night journey around the whole of Great Britain.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a private luxury train service from London to Venice and other European cities. It is currently owned by Belmond.
A railtour is a special train which is run in order to allow people to experience rail travel which is not normally available using timetabled passenger services. The 'unusual' aspect may be the route of the train, the destination, the occasion, specific sections of railway track, the locomotive hauling the train, the rolling stock, or any combination of these. Organisers may own or hire locomotives or rolling stock, or tours may be organised by railway management or other bodies outside the railway fraternity. Perhaps the most famous railtour in England was the Fifteen Guinea Special, the last steam hauled main line train run by British Rail. Railtours are often identifiable through the use of a train headboard, often identifying the name of the specific tour or the tour operator. On TOPS, railtours are usually given a 1Zxx headcode. Exceptions to this rule include regularly scheduled railtours such as the Belmond British Pullman operated Venice-Simplon Orient Express trains.
PeruRail is a railway operator providing tourist, freight, and charter services in southern Peru. It was founded in 1999 by two Peruvian entrepreneurs and the British company Sea Containers.
The Great South Pacific Express was a luxury Australian train service, run in by Queensland Rail and Belmond, the operator of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury cruise train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company (PCC) from 1874 until 1962, and then by British Railways from 1962 until 1972. Many named mainline service trains have subsequently used the word 'Pullman' in their titles, but most of these have been normal trains with increased first-class accommodation. Since 1982 however, some railtours have been operated by companies using Pullman coaches dating from the 1920s to 1950s to recreate the ambience of the heyday of Pullman travel.
Belmond Ltd. is a hospitality and leisure company that operates luxury hotels, train services and river cruises and safaris worldwide. In 2024, the company has 47 properties spread across 28 countries and territories, with 32 deluxe hotels, six tourist trains, seven river cruise boats and two safaris.
The Maharajas' Express is a luxury tourist train owned and operated by The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). It serves four routes across North-West and Central India, mainly centered on Rajasthan between the months of October and April.
Joyful Train is the name given to railway rolling stock or train sets operated by the JR Group in Japan primarily for charters, special events, tourist excursions, and other similar purposes. Traditionally, this term is only used for chartered trains dedicated to large group travel, but in recent years, it has expanded to include sightseeing trains and tourist trains as well, as their distinctions are made ambiguous. This page includes all trains considered "Joyful trains" and "Signtseeing trains".
The Seven Stars in Kyushu is a deluxe sleeping car excursion train operated by Kyushu Railway Company in Japan since October 2013.
Belmond British Pullman is a private luxury train that operates day and weekend journeys around Britain. Until 2023, it also served as the British leg of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) service between London and Venice.
The Northern Belle is a luxury train that operates day and weekend journeys around Britain from many different departure points. The train is named to recall the Belle trains of the 1930s, such as the weekly Northern Belle land cruise; operated by the London and North Eastern Railway every June from 1933 to 1939.
The Ultra Dome is a bilevel dome coach manufactured by Colorado Railcar for various operators between 1988–2007. Colorado Railcar, and its predecessor Rader Railcar, constructed a total of 44 cars. All 44 were purchased by touring companies in Alaska and Canada. At the time of their construction their dome areas featured the largest individual glass panes ever installed in a railcar.
The Belmond Grand Hibernian was a luxury train service in Ireland. The service was operated by Belmond, the operator of several other luxury trains including the Venice Simplon Orient Express. It was officially launched on 30 August 2016 and ceased on 18 February 2021 and the service will run in another European country in the future.
