Express excess
01-Nov-05
Luxury train travel has undergone a renaissance. Its rise in popularity mirrors that of the top cruise ships; today's luxury trains combine romance, convenience, comfort and five-star service for demanding clients. The unique appeal for writers such as Agatha Christie and film-makers such as Alfred Hitchcock - that the first-class carriage represented all that was most sophisticated about 20th-century travel - still holds true.
In Europe, the Orient Express has maintained its glamour, attracting royalty as well as celebrities. Elsewhere, new routes are being opened up to premium travellers, including The Ghan in Australia, which has deluxe cabins plus the option of chartering a private carriage. The ground-breaking Beijing-Tibet line (due 2007and the recently announced Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express are a couple of exciting new routes to look out for.
"Our figures show a compound growth in bookings from 2003 to 2007 of 65% per annum," says Tim Littler, managing director of luxury train specialists GW Travel. "2006 is already more than 60% sold and 2007 is 20%. The American Orient Express has run all year at close to 100% occupancy, as has the Palace on Wheels in India. In 2003, deluxe accounted for less than 10% of the Trans-Siberian Express capacity and this has been increased to 45% for 2006.
"A train can't become mass market because the costs of operation are very high compared with a cruise ship, for example. The maximum capacity of a train can never be much more than 120. The number-one demand of the luxury traveller is for en-suite facilities," he says.
"Last year, we saw an increase in sales of more than 5%," says David Hester of Orient Express, "and next year's sales are currently up by 14%. Meanwhile, our Asian train, the Eastern & Oriental Express, is experiencing similar growth on its route between Singapore and Thailand.
"There is also growth at the higher end of the market for rail travel that isn't 'historic' but still uses a high-quality train," adds Hester. "Travel through the French, Austrian and Swiss countryside allows rail-lovers to appreciate a mix of scenery and culture. Luxury rail travel is now seen as a pleasure in itself, rather than a way of getting from A to B. Today's discerning rail traveller expects great food and wines, personal stewards and entertainment, as well as new destinations and routes."
Pick of the bunch
Recommended by Ian Macbeth
Founder, Great Rail
South Africa
Train/journey: The Blue Train.
2006 destinations: Cape Town, Matjiesfontein, Kimberley, Johannesburg, Pretoria. (Stop press: Owing to a serious collision on October 26, there will be reduced departures throughout 2006.)
Best carriage/cabin: The Luxury cabins are a little larger than the Deluxe and have baths as well as showers, which is very rare to find on a train. They also have side-by-side beds, a picture window, an easy chair and marble baths with gold taps. The cabins come complete with their own video, TV and hi-fi. The Deluxe cabins also score pretty highly for luxury.
Chef's special: Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner are all served in the restaurant car, with formal dress (jacket and tie for men) required for dinner. The food is without a doubt one of the highlights of the journey, made from fresh local ingredients with regional favourites such as Karoo lamb and crayfish. Each course is accompanied by a different South African wine.
Entertainment: A pianist occasionally plays in the Club Car, but more popular is the Observation Car at the back of the lounge, an open-air window on the passing landscape.
Added extras: There are four sleeping cabins per carriage and each carriage has the services of a personal steward. All drinks, including Champagne, and hors d'oeuvres such as caviar are included in the price of the trip, which makes the Lounge a popular place before and after dinner.
Optional luxury excursions: The Blue Train makes two scheduled stops en route from Cape Town to Pretoria. The first is at the village of Matjiesfontein, where clients can enjoy a pre-dinner stroll around this very 'British' location, or take the tour on top of a double-decker bus. The village also has a fine old museum. The train's second stop is at Kimberley, where passengers enjoy lunch and a tour of the diamond mine that includes a visit to the biggest man-made hole in the world. Tours of Cape Town along with other South African highlights, such as game watching, can be arranged at either end of the overnight trip.
Recommended itinerary and price: The 17-day Highlights of South Africa tour costs £3,290 per person sharing. Included is an overnight trip from Cape Town to Pretoria on the Blue Train, return flights London-Cape Town/Johannesburg-London, and 13 nights' bed and breakfast hotel accommodation. Some additional meals are also included, as well as coach and rail tours on the Garden Route, all transfers and luggage handling and the services of a tour manager.
Contact: +44 1904 521942; (www.greatrail.com)
Best of the rest
Europe
Train/journey: The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Destinations: Starting in Budapest, the train travels through the heart of Central Europe, with a brief stop in Vienna to take on passengers, and on to London. It also operates a service between London and Venice (March to November).
Best carriage/cabin: A Cabin Suite is the most comfortable way to travel. A cabin suite is made up of two interconnecting cabins, giving guests more space. Daytime seating converts to upper and lower beds. WCs are located at the ends of sleeping cars and each compartment has a wash basin. Bottled water, toiletries, robe and slippers, writing paper and an Orient-Express Magazine are all provided with compliments. Among celebrity guests who have enjoyed VSOE hospitality are Cher, David Frost, Kylie Minogue, Lenny Henry and Dawn French.
Chef's special: The VSOE has a Bar Car and three dining cars, the Cote d'Azur, Etoile du Nord and Chinoise. The train has been an honourary member of Relais & Chateaux since 1986. Afternoon tea and breakfast are served in compartments. All dishes are freshly prepared by French chefs from ingredients taken onboard during the train's journey. There is one dress-code rule: you can never be overdressed on the VSOE. It is customary for men to wear a jacket and tie to dinner, with semi-formal or formal dinner dresses for the women.
Entertainment: Guests can enjoy a cocktail in the Bar Car before or after dinner while listening to the pianist playing the baby grand piano.
Added extras: Train guests enjoy the attentive service of liveried stewards. Luxury transfers can be arranged in advance.
Recommended itinerary and price: The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express operates a number of special departures from Budapest via Vienna to London. The 2006 price for this trip starts at £1,290 per person.
Contact: 0845 077 2222; (www.orient-express.com)
Recommended by David Hester, regional director, sales and marketing, Orient-Express trains and cruises
Russia
Train/journey: The Trans-Siberian Express.
Destinations: Since completion of the railway at the turn of the last century, this 10,000 km voyage from Moscow now includes once-closed parts of the former Soviet Union, such as Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.
Best carriage/cabin: Gold Class (deluxe).
Chef's special: Meals are served in three restaurant cars and the cuisine on board is best described as a blend of Russian and European. Dress code for dinner is smart/casual.
Entertainment: Piano-playing or other musical entertainment takes place in the train's bar car every evening.
Added extras: Each car has two attendants, one of whom is on-call 24 hours a day. Deluxe carriages have en-suite bathrooms, power showers and underfloor heating. All guests are met at Moscow airport on the day of arrival and transferred to the pre-tour hotel.
Optional luxury excursions: Before boarding, clients have the option of a three-day tour of St Petersburg. After disembarking in Vladivostok, they can enjoy a four-day extension in Kamchatka.
Recommended itinerary and price: The train runs throughout the year and takes two weeks in either direction to travel between Moscow and Vladivostok. Train-only costs are £5,995 twin share in Gold Class deluxe (£8,995 single) or £2,995 in Heritage Class (£4,195 single).
Contact: +44 161 928 9410; (www.gwtravel.co.uk)
Recommended by Tim Littler, managing director, GW Travel
Australia
Train/journey: The Ghan.
Destinations: Adelaide, Coober Pedy (an opal-mining Outback town), Manguri (a mid-desert stopping point), Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin.
Best carriage/cabin: One of the deluxe Gold Kangaroo Service cabins. These come with a three-quarter-sized double bed, two picture windows, table, chairs and a full en-suite bathroom. They also provide a full mini-bar and DVD-video facilities.
Chef's special: On-board fine dining makes excellent use of local Australian ingredients. Signature dishes include barramundi and kangaroo fillet. Dress code is smart/casual.
Entertainment: The Lounge Car plays host to the welcome reception, as well as to en-route information sessions. It also has CD-playing facilities.
Added extras: If money is no object, clients have the option of chartering their own special carriage, which can be added to the back of the train.
Optional luxury excursions: During the stop at Alice Springs, travellers can opt to take a (supplementary) helicopter flight over this ancient, untamed landscape. In Katherine, they can enjoy a boat cruise or a helicopter tour showcasing the spectacular 25-million-year-old canyons of Katherine Gorge.
Recommended itinerary and price: An itinerary that combines some of Australia's famous rail journeys with visits to an Outback cattle station, tropical rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, plus a stay in downtown Sydney. This 'Reds & Blues' tour costs £2,522 per person sharing and includes one night on the Indian Pacific train (Sydney to Adelaide), two nights on The Ghan (Adelaide to Darwin in Gold Kangaroo Class), one night on the Sunlander (Cairns to Brisbane), 16 nights' hotel accommodation, all transfers and internal flights.
Contact: 020 7483 6555; (www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk)
Recommended by Rachel Bottomley, product director at Australia and New Zealand specialists Bridge & Wickers
Canada
Train/journey: The Rocky Mountaineer.
Destinations: Travelling eastbound and westbound between the coastal city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Jasper or Banff and Calgary, Alberta, the Rocky Mountaineer retraces the legendary western Canadian routes of the first transcontinental railway. Overnight stay in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Best carriage/cabin: GoldLeaf Service guests enjoy reserved seating in bi-level glass-domed coaches that have panoramic views from the upper level and an elegant dining room on the main level, where a la carte breakfasts and lunches are served. The spectacular scenery is complemented by outstanding service and informative commentary provided by the four onboard attendants assigned to each coach. Celebrity travellers have included Maureen Lipman.
Chef's special: Clients can enjoy a la carte menus inspired by two of Canada's most bountiful regions: British Columbia and Alberta. Menu items available include wild mushroom chowder made with Alberta prairie beans and lightly drizzled with truffle honey; baked wild British Columbia salmon glazed with maple and ginseng, served on cornmeal polenta; and Fraser Valley chicken baked in a pumpkin seed crust with pumpkin apple puree.
Optional luxury excursions: The list is extensive with numerous activity options available before departure and after arrival.
Recommended itinerary and price: Day one: depart Vancouver early morning, overnight in Kamloops. Day two: Kamloops to Calgary. The service operates between April and October. The cost, based on two sharing in Gold Leaf class, is £931 per person including taxes.
Contact: 08700 841414, (www.simplyrail.com). See also: www.rockymountaineer.com
Recommended by Rod Maton, managing director, International Rail
