The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul could be running again after service was terminated in 2009.
French rail group SNCF hopes to reinstate the service within five years, beginning with a route between Paris and Vienna with 150 passengers on board.
New “concept” carriages equipped with modern fixtures are in the works. Despite the tough economic climate, SNCF wants the Orient Express brand to become a byword for luxury travel.
The original Orient Express to Istanbul began in 1883 thanks to the Belgian engineer and entrepreneur Georges Nagelmackers. His Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, or International Sleeping-Car Company, began the trend for trains with beds and posh dining cars.
SNCF acquired the brand name in 1977 and it is now developing a number of brand items, such as luggage and expensive mattresses. The first commercial licence has been given to the UK hotel group, Orient Express Hotels, to use the name and to run the separate Venice-Simplon Orient Express trans-Europe rail service.
SNCF’s initial investment in developing Orient Express products will be between €40m and €60m.
