recreating the golden age of rail travel - ejrcf.or.jp · pdf filerecreating the golden age of...

16 Japan Railway & Transport Review • March 1998

Railways and Tourism

Features

Copyright © 1998 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

Recreating the Golden Age of Rail Travel

Odette Anderson

Introduction

The Orient-Express Group, the epitomeof luxury and style, was founded by JamesB. Sherwood, as a subsidiary of BritishSea Containers Limited in 1976. Sincethen, the Group has expanded to encom-pass 16 luxury hotels in some of the mostbeautiful locations in the world, three‘nostalgic’ trains (with another cominginto operation at the end of 1998), aunique river cruiser, four safari lodges andtwo award-winning restaurants.

The Golden Age of Travel

In 1883, the Compagnie Internationaledes Wagons-Lits (CIWL), founded by theBelgian engineer Georges Nagelmackers,launched its first and most famous luxurytrain, the Orient-Express. The Orient-Express service set an unparalleled stan-dard for de luxe trans-European traintravel. With the opening of the SimplonTunnel at the Swiss-Italian border in1906, the Simplon-Orient-Express beganoperating its historic Paris–Milan–Venice

route and, with the later addition of sleep-ing carriages, extended the service toBelgrade, Sofia, Athens and the famousdestination of Constantinople (Istanbul),which has evoked so many romanticnovels and films. For a while, during theheady 1920s and 30s, the Paris-Venicesector of this service was deemed to bethe most luxurious train journey in the

world, a reputation which Mr Sherwoodhas been keen to maintain.The next major breakthrough, which hassignificance in today’s market, was theaddition of the London-to-Paris sector in1889. A beautifully appointed Pullmantrain made the journey from London toDover, where passengers crossed theChannel before joining Wagons-Lits car-riages in Calais to take them on to Paris.Here, the equally stunning ContinentalTrain was coupled to the Orient-Expressfor onward travel to ‘magical’ cities, onlyread about before in travelogues of thetime.To reflect the changing times, the servicewas also rechristened the Simplon-Ori-ent-Express, a symbol of luxury which re-mains to this day.However, in the 1950s, the novelty andspeed of airplanes adversely impacted thenumber of people travelling by train, anda further reduction in the number of pas-sengers due to mass low-cost air travelalso occurred in the 1970s. Sadly, thefall-off continued until the service wasfinally closed in May 1977.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express winding through Alps (VSOE)

Dining in style on Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE)

17Japan Railway & Transport Review • March 1998Copyright © 1998 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

The Modern Day Orient-Express

In October 1977, American businessmanand train enthusiast, James B. Sherwood,(President of Sea Containers Ltd. and nowChairman of Orient-Express Hotels),bought two Orient-Express sleeper car-riages, built in the 1920s, at a Sotheby’sauction in Monte Carlo. This was the

Routes of Simplon-Orient-Express and Taurus-Express in 1930–31 (© Wagons-Lits Diffusion, Paris 1998)

first step in the renaissance of the greattrain!Since that time, 35 Pullman cars, sleep-ers, and restaurant cars—all with anamazing historical pedigree—have beenacquired and fully restored to their formerglory at workshops in England, Belgium,and Germany. Master craftsmen haveworked miracles with marquetry, glazing,and traditional upholstery to recreate the

feel of those ‘Golden Days’.On 25 May 1982, the beautifully-restoredcarriages made their inaugural run fromLondon to Venice via Milan, offering anew opportunity to relive the glory daysof European train travel. The train nowruns regular scheduled services fromearly March to mid-November, throughthe breathtaking Alpine scenery of Aus-tria and Switzerland, taking in the beau-




ENGLAND

FRANCE

GERMANY

AUSTRIA ROMANIA

BULGARIA

TURKEYITALYROME

ZURICH

ISTANBUL

BUDAPESTINNSBRUCK

BASEL

PARIS

VERONA

LONDONDUSSELDORFCOLOGNE

PRAGUE

VENICE

FLORENCEMONTECARLO

FRANKFURT

HUNGARY

CZECHREP

SWITZERLANDBUCHAREST

tiful cities of Paris, Zurich, Innsbruck, andVenice.Since 1982, passengers of all nationali-ties and ages (Fig. 1), including membersof the British and European Royal fami-lies and aristocracy, politicians, captainsof industry, not to mention world-famousshow-business personalities, have made

this ‘historic’ journey.Today, passengers are offered either an àla carte or a table d’hôte menu. A 24-hour cabin service is also available forlight snacks and refreshments. ChristianBodiguel, the Executive Chef, caters for125–200 guests each day.The seasonal menu changes weekly over

a 3-month period. Christian and his teamtake on provisions in Paris, such as livelobsters, langoustines, asparagus, arti-chokes, filet de bœuf, and veal sweet-breads—to mention just some of theingredients. Everything except patisserieand bread is cooked on the train. Theservice and food compare with the mostcritically acclaimed restaurants in theworld.The bar car serves drinks throughout thejourney and a pianist entertains at a grandpiano. Passengers are encouraged to en-ter into the spirit of the occasion by dress-ing in period, with the gentlemen wearingdinner jackets. It is a magical experience.From March to November each year, theservice operates between London, Paris/Dusseldorf and Venice. There are addi-tional departures between Venice andRome and from Venice to Vienna, Prague,Paris and London.In 1998, the Orient-Express will againtake the tracks all the way to Istanbul,like its predecessor in 1883. This jour-

Routes of modern Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE)

Average number of passengersper season: 13,000

Average number of nationalitieswho travel per season: 26

Top four nationalities travellingin 1996: British: 39% of all passengers

American: 22%French: 11%Japanese: 10%

Average age of passengers: Under 35: 14%35–54: 44%Over 54: 42%

Figure 1 Passenger Profile of Venice Simplon-Orient-Express


Entertainment in E&O bar car (VSOE)

ney will span five days and four nights,the second night being spent off the trainat a luxury hotel. A hotel room will alsobe available for passengers on day 4 ofthe journey. Excursions along the routeare planned in Budapest, Hungary, andBucharest, Rumania. In Budapest, lunchwill be taken at the famous Gundels Res-taurant, run by George Lang, the re-nowned restaurateur.Just north of Bucharest, Peles Castle atSinaia is included in the itinerary to re-flect the journey made just over a cen-tury ago, when passengers were invitedby King Carol to visit the castle, to markits completion.The 1998 schedule also includes a de-parture from Venice to London, whichwill, for the first time, travel via MonteCarlo and up through the breathtakingscenery of Provence with hill-huggingvillages dotting the horizon.

British Pullman’s Connectionwith Orient-Express

To complement the magnificent rake ofthe Wagons-Lits carriages used on theContinental Train, a similarly-restoredPullman train is used for the journey be-

Exterior of British Pullman (VSOE)

tween London and Folkestone, wherepassengers cross the Channel in a 55-minute voyage on Hoverspeed’s (a sistercompany in the Sea Containers Group)SeaCat catamaran.As well as running between London andFolkestone, the Pullman train also offersdiscerning travellers the opportunity tomake day or weekend excursions to his-toric cities, castles and landmarksthroughout the UK. Special dates areadded to its year-round schedule to linkwith major sporting or social events, suchas Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Races,

Valentine and Mother’s Day celebrations,culminating in a series of seasonal lun-cheon and dinner trips leading up to theChristmas holidays.Leaving either Victoria Station in Londonor other major cities throughout Britain,passengers travel in either restored Pull-man dining carriages, or in coupés, smallcompartments seating up to four people.Each carriage is unique with its ownname and fascinating history, and onceformed part of world-famous trains suchas the Golden Arrow and the BrightonBelle.

The Eastern & Oriental Express

Following the success of the legendaryVenice Simplon-Orient-Express, the East-ern & Oriental Express (E&O) was con-ceived in 1987 by James Sherwood andhis wife, the author Dr Shirley Sherwood.In keeping with the other services, theE&O aims to recapture a bygone era ofgracious living, with superb service anddelicious foods, coupled with a five-starhotel on wheels—another dream of thosewonderful ‘Golden Days of Rail Travel’.Originally built by Nippon Sharyo Ltd.,and Hitachi, Ltd. of Japan in 1972 andoperated as the Silver Star in NewZealand by New Zealand Railways, the




24 carriages were totally remodelled andrebuilt in Singapore.The E&O was inaugurated in September1993, making history as the first train tocarry passengers directly betweenSingapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkokin conjunction with both Malayan Rail-way (KTM) and the State Railway of Thai-land (SRT). It is the only de luxe train totravel the full length of the 1943-km pen-insular. The leisurely journey takes threedays through scenic countryside. In ad-

dition, the train stops in Kuala Lumpur atthe Royal Station of Hua Hin. There isalso an opportunity for a trishaw tour ofGeorgetown in Pinang (Penang). On thesouthbound journey, the train stops atButterworth where passengers can enjoya day excursion to the island of Pinang.Of course, passengers can join or leavethe train at any of these points.Once on board, passengers can wanderthrough the nineteen luxurious custom-made carriages, designed and fitted byParisian designer, Gérard Gallet. Thetrain is comprised of an open-air obser-vation car with teak benches and gleam-ing brass fittings, two bar cars, two diningcars and sleeping compartments with ensuite bathroom and shower facilities. Asone would imagine, the stunning décorbefits a product from the Orient-Expressstable.Entertainment with an Oriental flavour isprovided during the journey—dancers,musicians and fortune tellers alternatewith the resident pianist in one bar car.There is a small library in the saloon carwith books and games for passengers.

Observation deck on Eastern & Oriental Express (VSOE)

Annual number of passengers: 10,000

Total number of nationalitieswho have travelled: 74

Top five nationalities in 1996: American: 25%Japanese: 21%German: 15%English: 11%Swiss: 6%

Average age of passengers: The majority of passengers areAged over 45:

Under 25: 3%25–34: 9%35–44: 13%45–54: 25%55–64: 28%Over 65: 23%

Figure 2 Passenger Profile of Eastern & Oriental Express

Route of Eastern & Oriental Express (VSOE)

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

MYANMAR

THAILAND

SINGAPORE

KUALA LUMPUR

PENANG

PHUKET

LANGKAWI

BUTTERWORTH

KO SAMUI

HUA HIN

BANGKOK

AYUTTHAYA

PHITSANULOK

KANCHANABURI

YANGON

ANDAMANSEA

SOUTHCHINA

SEA

CHIANG MAI

SUKHOTHAI

RIVER KWAI(KHWAE NOI R.)

AYEYARWADYRIVER

N


There is also a boutique selling an ex-clusive range of E&O designs.In January 1997, the River Kwai and thebridge of cinematic fame were incorpo-rated into the schedule. Now, the E&Otravels weekly between Singapore andBangkok, taking in the extended journeyto Kanchanaburi, Wang Pho and theRiver Kwai, giving passengers an oppor-tunity to take in this famous site.No wonder the Eastern & Oriental Ex-press is now known as the ‘world’s mostexotic train journey’, forming the ultimatecentrepiece of an Asian holiday for10,000 guests annually (Fig. 2).

Great South Pacific Express

The natural attractions of the vastbushland separating the vibrant cities onAustralia’s eastern seaboard, naturallylend themselves to overland travel. In

Odette Anderson

Odette Anderson is Public Relations Assistant with Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd. She holds

a Bachelor’s degree in Food and Consumer Studies.

Edwardian-style compartment on Great South Pacific Express (VSOE)Route of Great South Pacific Express along eastAustralian coast (Orient-Express Hotels Japan Ltd.)

QUEENSLAND

NEW SOUTHWALES

VICTORIA

Sydney

CANBERRA

Brisbane

Cairns

Rockhampton

Great Barrier Reef

Proserpine

Kuranda

December 1998, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd., in partnership withQueensland Rail (QR), will launchAustralia’s ultimate tourist train, the GreatSouth Pacific Express.The Express is being built entirely in Aus-tralia using local materials and historicdesigns from Australia’s railway heritage.It is a quintessential Australian train. Ini-tially, it will run weekly all year roundalong the east coast of Australia, fromBrisbane to Cairns and vice versa, withexcursions to the Great Barrier Reef andthe World Heritage Rainforest. It will also

make fortnightly departures fromBrisbane to Sydney.Up to 20 carriages long, comprised ofsuperb sleeping cars, all with en suitebathrooms, as well as a variety of restau-rant, bar and lounge cars, the Great SouthPacific Express will set new standards ofglamour on Australian tracks, combiningluxury with state-of-the-art amenities andmodern safety standards.

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