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The 'secret' luxury travel option

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    I think that the large majority of those that could travel on luxury trains have very little knowledge about them.
    I believe that these travellers may well have a hazy idea that the Orient Express travels between Venice and London, and could possibly have heard of the Blue Train and The Palace on Wheels.
    However I would be very interested to know if I am right.

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    I think you probably are right about that. My understanding (admittedly, very limited) is that there aren't too many trains that attain the level of service and accommodations as the trains that you listed. The only other high-end trains I know about are the Northern Belle, the Royal Scotsman and Rovus Rail.

    Are there many others that are rated as highly?

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    While I've never slept on the the trains listed above, I have taken a number of first class sleepers overnight throughout Europe. Each time, I've been mostly impressed by the accommodations: private room, complimentary Champagne, crisp white linens, etc, etc.

    But, I've never had a good night sleep. Not even once. Usually the driver of the train is driving too fast, or too slow. Or, the trains stop and start too often or too quickly. And the cars always creak too much. If your bed is positioned perpendicular to the tracks, it's even worse because you invariably roll towards back and forth as the train speeds or slows too quickly.

    It's bizarre because you'd think that you'd be rocked fast asleep, like a baby. But, for me, it's just not conducive to sleep. For some reason, I have a better time sleeping on a train if I'm sitting upright in an uncomfortable seat. I know that makes no sense because on an plane I just can't sleep unless it's a lie-flat bed.

    My feeling is that few people ever get a good night sleep on a train. If they did, it probably wouldn't be a "secret."

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    I traveled on the Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok several years ago and absolutely loved the experience. It really transports you to another time... it's not only luxurious, but very "elegant" and the passengers really get into the whole idea of dressing black tie for dinner, etc.

    I didn't have any of the reported problems sleeping. The train rocks me to sleep. My sister (who was with me) did have problems sleeping because of her nerves.

    It was one of my most memorable experiences and I would highly recommend it.

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    I have spent a couple of days at the World Travel Market finding out about luxury trains. There’s a lot happening!

    Russian Railways have a new Trans-Siberian in mid-2008;
    The Chinese Tangula Trains (managed by Kempinski Hotels) start in October 2008;
    The Blue Train in South Africa is enjoying the benefits of remodeling;
    The Golden Chariot in India launches January 2008;
    There's a new 'imperial-class' Palace on Wheels in building;
    And more besides a number of ‘first class’ trains.

    The fact is that we are seeing the new age of rail around the world (except for North America as yet). Perhaps someone knows about some hidden rail investment news from the US?

    Have a look at the Pullman Orient Express for an authentic Orient Express experience, which (those who cannot sleep on a moving train take note) does not offer sleeping accommodations. Paris has some great hotels……

    Thanks from: Herry Lawford, brook
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    With respect to Simon Pielow's question as to whether there is any hidden rail investment news from the U.S., the answer is "yes," but it's really hidden. In the western part of the U.S., railroads such as the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe are literally investing hundreds of millions of dollars to double-track large portions of their right-of-way that are currently single-tracked. While they are making these substantial investments to greatly improve the efficiency, throughput and capacity of their freight operations, a very substantial benefit will also be experienced by passenger trains, which typically run on the same tracks and which are routinely held on sidings for long periods of time, while freight trains (which are the railroads' "bread and butter") are given higher priority to move down the main line. This bodes well for luxury train travel in the western part of the U.S.A., as well as for Amtrak. It will reduce the amount of time that such passenger trains stay on the siding, thereby improving overall schedules and, in general, making the trip more enjoyable for travellers. (I remember once sitting on a passing track while on a trip on the old American Orient Express, while five or six freight trains barreled by.) If this double-tracking trend continues, it will not only make the railroads' freight operations more efficient, but it will also result in a much more pleasant journey for us passengers!

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    Don,
    Apologies for the long silence. Networking on other sites --- perhaps that should be whispered!
    Double-tracking is of course great news. Promoting freight on the rails requires better infrastructure - signalling too - and as you say this benefits passengers traffic. It may work the other way around elsewhere but who cares?

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    Hello, Simon. It was good to hear from you again. (Better late than never.) Anyhow, you are absolutely right, as long as the passengers benefit, who cares?

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    Some other luxury train rides include:

    The trains to Machu Picchu from Cusco in Peru, also run by Orient Express, was a very enjoyable experience.

    Rocky Mountaineer also offers 3 different routes through the Canadian Rockies (Vancouver, Calgary, Jasper). The service is excellent and the scenery is simply stunning. However, I agree with the aforementioned comments about a good night's sleep. These tours are during the day. Overnight accommodation is with various hotels (mid price to luxury) in stops along the way.

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    Hello dd67,
    I agree that these are very special trains but your point raises the question - what is a luxury train? Are these excellent first class trains with first class services? Can they be considered true luxury? Or is luxury simply what the passenger considers it to be, rather than the subjective judgement of the travel or rail industry? These are the questions that we face when we consider adding a train to the Luxury Train Club. Fortunately we change a wrong decision!

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    I am off to the massive ITB show in Berlin next week to speak to as many train owners as possible. I will try to give a report on how it goes and what I learnt.

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    I forget the name of it, but there's a luxury train running through India where you can book your own private car and the ticket comes with a personal servant.

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