As of: 04/16/2023 6:46 p.m
Cut for the rolling luxury hotel: The operator of the Orient Express no longer wants to offer trips from London from 2024. The step is justified with border controls that are due to Brexit.
According to a media report, the Orient Express will no longer drive through Great Britain as a result of Brexit. The train company Belmond wants to stop operating the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, as the train is officially called today, nationwide. The currently offered start in London is to be omitted.
“We will adjust our operations in 2024 before further passport and border controls are due,” a spokesman for the operating company told the Sunday newspaper Observer. They want to avoid the risk of delays and missed connections “and offer the best possible, most relaxed service,” it said.
Transfer to coach
As additional passport controls have been required since Brexit, hours of traffic jams are becoming more common at Dover ferry port – especially at holiday times or on public holidays. According to the provider Belmond, this situation could worsen because the introduction of the so-called European travel information and approval system will require further controls in the future.
Similar to the USA, visitors who are exempt from the visa requirement must then submit an application and show biometric data such as fingerprints. This would also affect guests on the Orient Express, who previously had to change to a coach to cross the English Channel after the first train section. Therefore, the operator no longer wants to serve the British leg.
Different operators and routes
The rolling luxury hotel that inspired crime writer Agatha Christie to write her classic “Murder on the Orient Express” has connected Paris with Istanbul since the late 19th century. However, the name of the train has been used for trains of different operators and routes over time.
Since the 1980s, it has been possible to start the journey from London – to Venice, for example. With superior suites and dining on board, ticket costs run into the thousands of pounds per person.
The operator’s website currently offers 16 other departure locations in addition to London – including Amsterdam, Istanbul, Paris, Rome and Vienna.