Luxury, tourist and cruise train news
News about luxury, tourist and cruise trains around the world.
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NewsRocky Mountaineer’s US operation to become Canyon Spirit
USA: Canadian and US luxury rail operator Rocky Mountaineer is to expand its Rockies to the Red Rocks route for the 2026 season, and rebrand its US operation from Rocky Mountaineer to Canyon Spirit. The Rockies to the Red Rocks service launched in 2021 runs from Denver ...
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Metro Report InternationalLight rail sightseeing tour launched to boost tourism
CHINA: Hong Kong’s MTR Corp has launched the Tuen Mun Voyager light rail sightseeing tour to boost tourism in the Tuen Mun area. Inspired by Iceland’s Golden Circle tourist route, the Tuen Mun Voyager follows a circular route with 12 stops. Passengers who have purchased the HK$50 ...
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NewsGuardian of the Nile luxury cruise train planned
EGYPT: Italian high-end hospitality company Arsenale and Egyptian National Railways have signed heads of terms for the launch of a Guardian of the Nile luxury cruise train in 2027. It is Arsenale’s fourth international rail cruise project, following announcements in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Uzbekistan. ...
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NewsRevolution Express tourist train to highlight Vietnamese history
VIETNAM: An agreement to launch a steam-hauled Revolution Express tourist train themed on Vietnamese history has been signed by Indochina Rail Tourist Service and Wafaifo Optimisers. The launch is planned for late 2024 or early 2025. Two restored steam locomotives will haul the retro-style coaches and custom-made ...
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NewsScenic Plus coach refurbished for New Zealand tourist train service
NEW ZEALAND: National railway KiwiRail’s tourist train business Great Journeys New Zealand has unveiled a coach which has been refurbished to provide a premium ‘immersive travel experience’ on the 223 km TranzAlpine coast-to-coast service between Greymouth and Christchurch. ‘The innovative carriage is the icing on the ...
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Metro Report InternationalDisneyland Resort Line train replacement to create a ‘brand new look’
CHINA: New battery trains and resignalling are included in Hong Kong operator MTR Corp’s plans to create a ‘brand new look’ for the Disneyland Resort Line from 2028.
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NewsFootbath train launched to serve hot springs resort
JAPAN: Private train operator Kintetsu has modified one of its electric multiple-units to operate luxury tourist services between Nagoya and Yunoyama-Onsen, a hot springs resort in the Suzuka area of outstanding natural beauty.
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NewsSlow tourism train operator launches first service
ITALY: FS Group’s recently formed tourist train business FS Treni Turistici Italiani has launched its first service. Branded Espresso Cadore, the overnight service between Roma Termini and Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina will run every Friday night until mid-February. On arrival, a connecting bus takes passengers to Cortina ...
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NewsLuxury cruise train to link Uzbekistan’s Silk Road cities
UZBEKISTAN: Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale has announced plans to launch a luxury cruise train to take tourists between Toshkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva from late 2026. A memorandum of understanding for the project was signed with national railway UTY and the government’s Tourism Committee in ...
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NewsRetro-styled open-sided coaches developed for tourist trains
RUSSIA: Vagonremmash has developed a range of retro-styled open-sided coaches for use on tourist and cruise trains. They have a capacity of 80 passengers, with heated benches, power sockets and bicycle spaces. Over summer the coaches were used on the steam-hauled Ruskeala ...
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Metro Report InternationalSuspended monorail with glass floor opens in China
CHINA: The Optics Valley Skyrail suspended monorail has opened in Wuhan, with glass-floored vehicles giving passengers a view downwards as well as sideways. The 10·5 km first phase of the line, which is primarily aimed at tourists, runs from Jiufengshan in Jiufeng National Forest Park to Longquanshan. ...
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NewsPanoramic coaches added to Kyrgyz trains
KYRGYZSTAN: A second panoramic tourist coach has entered service on the 200 km route between Bishkek and Balykchy on the shore of the Ysyk-Köl lake.
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In depthComment: Trains on the tourist trail
As summer moves into autumn in the northern hemisphere, a debate is beginning over the future of tourism, catalysed in part by the searing heatwaves and wildfires that have been sweeping across much of the planet.
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NewsItalian luxury and tourist train business launched
ITALY: National operator FS Group has established FS Treni Turistici Italiani to provide luxury and tourist-focused train services. These will position rail travel ’as an integral part of the holiday, a quality component of the overall tourist experience’. FS Treni Turistici Italiani has three service areas: ...
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NewsUAE luxury cruise train service planned
UAE: Etihad Rail and Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale have signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of a luxury cruise train, which would operate in UAE and potentially in Oman and across the Gulf Co-operation Council countries as the region’s rail network expands. The ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse to equip La Dolce Vita luxury trains
ITALY: Arsenale Express has awarded Knorr-Bremse a contract to supply braking, climate control, door and sanitary systems for two rakes of 11 coaches which are being modernised for use on La Dolce Vita luxury ‘slow travel’ services La Dolce Vita is being developed by luxury travel ...
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NewsDream of the Desert cruise train planned for Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA: A Dream of the Desert five-star luxury cruise train service on the North South Railway from Riyadh to Al Qurayyat on the border with Jordan is planned to launch in 2025. A memorandum of understanding for the project was signed at the Saudi ...
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Rail Business UKStaycation Express suspended for 2022
UK: Rail Charter Services has confirmed that its summer tourist trains over the Settle & Carlisle line, popularly known as the Staycation Express, will not operate in 2022. In a brief statement, the company said ‘unfortunately owing to extraordinary difficult trading conditions we have had to ...
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NewsRockies to the Red Rocks luxury train launched
USA: Luxury tourist train operator Rocky Mountaineer has launched its Rockies to the Red Rocks route, offering a two-day journey between Denver in Colorado and Moab in Utah with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs.
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Rail Business UKDifficult start for the Staycation Express
UK: Rail Charter Services has been forced to scale back its ‘Staycation Express’ services on the Settle – Carlisle line, after passenger numbers were lower than expected and rolling stock and catering issues emerged during the first few weeks of the 2021 season. Ridership was high ...