Originally, the Orient Express was an ordinary international train, providing service from Paris to Istanbul. It first ran in October of 1883, under the Compagnie International des Wagons-Lits, a French railway company. Its route changed many times over the years, and it eventually became associated with mystery, intrigue, and luxurious travel.
It’s possible that the reputation for intrigue arose because of the train’s route. It cut across France, Germany, and many Eastern countries that often had tense relationships with each other. The service was discontinued during World Wars I and II due to international tension, and resistance groups from conflicting countries would sometimes sabotage the tracks even in peacetime.
Because the Orient Express was for many years the fastest route across Europe, important heads of state, business leaders, and even royalty rode the train alongside the bourgeoisie. During the 1930’s, the parent company installed gourmet restaurants and elegant sleeping cars to accommodate its important and wealthy clientele, and soon the train became associated with luxury travel.
The original French parent company sold its cars to other railways in 1971, but continued to staff the cars until 1976. The last direct Orient Express route from Paris to Istanbul ran in 1977. That doesn’t mean you can’t ride on the Orient Express today, however. There are several ways to do it.
Perhaps the easiest and least expensive is to ride on the “real” Orient Express—the direct descendant of the famous Wagons-Lits route. It’s still the main overnight train connecting Paris and Vienna, and it’s run by the German, Austrian, and French national railways under the name “Orient Express.” You can ride it using InterRail and Eurail passes, just like you can with any national or international European train.
So the authentic Orient Express still runs, but don’t expect it to take you to the Orient nowadays. And after June 9, 2007, you won’t be able to catch it in Paris, either. It will be partially replaced on that date by the LVG Est, a high-speed train connecting Paris to Strasbourg, but it will continue to run from Strasbourg to Vienna.
Several privately owned companies run trains under the name “Orient Express.” Perhaps one of the best known is the Venice-Simplon Orient Express. James Sherwood, an American-born British businessman, started this company in 1982. In 1977, following the “end” of the Orient Express, he bought two railcars at auction that had once been used on the route.
Today, the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) runs from London to many different destinations, including Rome, Krakow, and Istanbul. Riding the VSOE is more like taking a luxury cruise than taking a simple trip by train; the point of the trip is the journey, not the destination. Tickets can cost £1,200 or more per person.
Another, similar privately run operation, the Nostalgic Orient Express, also capitalizes on the Orient Express name. Like the VSOE, it uses LX-class cars and costs a similar amount. It runs an irregular schedule from Zurich to Istanbul and Athens.
Many privately-run companies under the Orient Express name use beautifully restored luxury railcars dating from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. While many of these cars were once owned by Wagons-Lits and may have run the Orient-Express route at some point, the actual trains used by these companies are not exactly like those used on the original Orient Express.
Privately-run companies often string together a series of elegant LX-class cars, the most luxurious class of cars ever used by Wagons-Lits, and call them “the original Orient Express train.” But the original Orient Express used mostly S-Class and Z-Class sleeping cars, which were more utilitarian. A small section of the Orient Express route did use LX-class cars during the 1930’s, but the entire Orient Express train was not composed of these beautiful sleepers.
In general, many of these companies infer that their train is the actual, original locomotive used on the Orient Express. While some have managed to buy and restore Wagons-Lits cars, some of which may have run that route at some point, the idea that an “original Orient Express” exists is a fallacy.
The Orient Express was a route, not a specific train—similar to the Boston-to-London flight offered by American Airlines. Just as the plane used for that route changes from day to day, the train cars used for the Orient Express route rotated daily and weekly. It would be impossible to buy an “original Boston-to-London plane” from American airlines; hundreds of planes have flown that route. It’s also impossible to find an “original Orient Express train.”
You can ride on a nationally owned Orient Express route with a timetable history stretching all the way back to the original Orient Express. Or you can ride in a restored car dating from the heyday of the Orient Express, owned by a privately run company unconnected to the original route. Which is more authentic?
It depends on what you consider authentic. The national Orient Express route uses modern trains, but it’s the direct descendant of that old, much-loved route. Private companies can’t offer the same pedigree, but they can offer an atmosphere closer to what we associate with the Orient Express. Either way, when you ride the Orient Express, you’re still riding a piece of history.
About the author
Janette Vince is managing director of http://www.thanksdarling.com. For a range of experience days including trips on the Orient Express visit http://www.thanksdarling.com/8-5.htm
