Wikipedia

Luxury train

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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.

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1888 poster for the Orient Express

History

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An illustration from the 1885 Chicago & Alton Railroad timetable

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]

Belmond trains

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Venice-Simplon Orient Express in Switzerland
 
Class 67, no. 67,006 Royal Sovereign hauling the Northern Belle
 
Bangkok-bound Eastern and Oriental Express train at the Kuala Lumpur railway station in Malaysia

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.

Europe

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United Kingdom

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Former Brighton Belle Pullman carriage at London Victoria, now part of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express fleet

British Pullman cars were formerly used on the Brighton Belle out of London Victoria station.[12]

Northern Belle

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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

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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]

El Transcantábrico

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The oldest tourist train in Spain (operating since 1983), the Transcantábrico, uses original 1923 Pullman coaches.[15]

Sweden

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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]

Russia

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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.

North America

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Rocky Mountaineer

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Rocky Mountaineer's distinctive domed carriages allow for expansive views of the Canadian Rockies.

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]

Royal Canadian Pacific

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The Royal Canadian Pacific on an international run in North Dakota in 2012

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.

Asia

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Japan

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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.

India

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Main article: Luxury rail in India

Luxury trains in India include the Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Golden Chariot, Maharajas' Express, and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels.[22]

South Africa

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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.

Australia

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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]

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    Dining car on Seven Stars in Kyushu
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    Pride of Africa deluxe suite
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    Dining car on the Blue Train
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    The Ghan approaching Alice Springs, 5 July 2015

See also

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for tourist trains.

References

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  1. ^ Railroad Collections Archived 19 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Thinkquest Library Archived 31 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine, History of Luxury Trains
  3. ^ "The Most Luxurious Train Rides in the World". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Orient-Express". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  5. ^ "The Curious Rebranding of Orient-Express Hotels Into the Belmond Brand". Skift. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Lambert, Anthony (28 March 2008). "On track for a classic train journey". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Readers' Travel Awards 2009". Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Ireland's only luxury sleeper train derailed by Covid-19". independent.ie. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Website of Tourism Malaysia – Experience the Best Time of Your..." archive.is. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Orient-Express". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Belmond Andean Explorer, Arequipa, Cusco, Peru | Out There magazine | Luxury and Experiential Travel Inspiration". OutThere | Experiential Luxury Travel. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Orient-Express". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  13. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Orient-Express". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  15. ^ Luxury Tourist Trains, Official Website of Luxury Tourist Trains Spain[dead link‍]
  16. ^ Bergsten, Jan (2020). Kryssningståg (in Swedish). Stockholm: Trafik-Nostalgiska Förlaget. p. 59, 72. ISBN 978-91-88605-63-4.
  17. ^ "Rocky Mountaineer". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  18. ^ Marks, Laurence. "Canada's Rocky Mountaineer train ride". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  19. ^ "A luxury rail tour with Royal Canadian Pacific brings the history of the railroad in Canada to life". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  20. ^ "Cruise Train Seven Stars in Kyushu Japan's first cruise train, the luxurious "Seven Stars in Kyushu"". Retrieved 2 April 2017.[dead link‍]
  21. ^ "Concept". Seven Stars in Kyushu. Japan: Kyushu Railway Company. 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  22. ^ "Super luxury train 'Royal Rajasthan on Wheels' flagged off from New Delhi – Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 5 September 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  23. ^ "Earth Times: news/348189,paris-hilton-upset-at-japan-ban-special-way-traverse-australia.html". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Sydney to Perth". www.greatsouthernrail.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
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