The Eastern & &(********************************************************************************** )(*************************************************************************************************************** )is heading back to the tracks.
Services for the train service are rebooting in February 2024, according to a statement today by the train’s owner, the high-end travel business Belmond.
The guest train, long thought about among the most glamorous rail flights in Asia, began running in 1993, linking Bangkok toSingapore It stopped running in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
The Eastern & &(********************************************************************************** )is returning with 15 carriages, consisting of 2 dining establishment cars and trucks, one piano bar vehicle and an al fresco observation vehicle. It’s 8 sleeping cars and trucks will have 3 cabin classifications– Pullman, State and Presidential– all with air-conditioning and personal restrooms.
Bookings for 2024 opened today with rates from $3,410 per individual for a three-day journey, that includes all meals, drinks and set up activities.
Two journeys
The brand-new service is set to run 2 seasonal journeys, both leaving from Singapore and taking a trip to Malaysia.
The “Essence of Malaysia,” will range from November toFebruary It will go through Kuala Lumpur, with views of the Petronas Twin Towers– as soon as the highest structures worldwide– prior to leaving for the popular islands of Langkawi and Penang along western Malaysia.
The Eastern & &(********************************************************************************** )(*************************************************************************************************************** )is equipped with elaborate silks, cherry wood paneling and carpets made with Malay batik.
Source: Belmond
Guests can snorkel in Palau Payar Marine Park, take a Peranakan cooking class and experience the “UNESCO World Heritage sites, lively street art, and a thrilling food scene” in the city of George Town, according to the statement.
From March to October, travelers can start the train’s “Wild Malaysia” path. It stops along the eastern side of Malaysia to check out the rain forests of the Taman Negara National Park, prior to venturing to Penang.
Trains of comparable names
The Eastern & &(********************************************************************************** )(*************************************************************************************************************** )has actually been informally described as Southeast Asia’s “Orient Express,” harkening to the historical train that connected Paris and Istanbul start in the late 19 th century.
Costs start at $3,410 per individual for a three-day journey on the Eastern & & Oriental Express.
Source: Belmond
However, other train services utilize the name, consisting of one run by Belmond.
That train– the “Venice Simplon-Orient-Express”– runs under a one-off licensing offer and has actually been running because1982
The French hospitality business Accor has more comprehensive rights to the name through an offer tattooed with the French rail business SNCF in2017 The business is set to introduce a high-end guest service in 2025, according to its site.
Accor is likewise preparing to introduce 6 “Orient Express La Dolce Vita” trains in 2024 that will stumble upon Italy, with journeys to Paris, Istanbul and Split, Croatia, according to its site.
Pre- reserving for that service opened in December 2022, with costs beginning with 2,000 euros ($ 2,192) per individual per night, according to Accor.
— Lucy Handley added to this report.
