How Brexit killed the Orient Express in the UK

youhe iconic European luxury train made world famous by British mystery novelist Agatha Christie is losing its link to England, at least temporarily.

After 41 years, the Venice Simplon-Orient Express will abandon the UK leg of the iconic European route because Brexit has made crossing the border into France too slow.

Belmond, the company that runs the current Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE), has announced that it will remove the London to Folkestone section of the route from March 2024, explaining that long delays to cross the Channel have meant that too difficult to maintain the English leg of the trip.

“This action was taken to minimize the risks of travel disruption and continue to provide our guests with the highest level of service,” said Alexa Withers, a Belmond spokeswoman. “We look forward to reintroducing the London-Folkestone leg of the journey aboard our British Pullman in the future.”

“The Belmond British Pullman has, for decades, been the perfect ‘snack’ for an overnight ride on the VSOE,” said Rachel Hardy, vice president of sales and marketing for International rail travelers, a Virtuoso agency. “Cutting the UK portion is an unfortunate but necessary decision to avoid delays for guests.”

Earlier this month, the bbc reported that waiting times to cross the border usually exceed 12 hours. Before Brexit, Orient Express passengers could cross the border without lengthy passport control at the border.

The EU prepares to introduce new biometric technology Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated computer system that will record the traveler’s name, type of travel document, biometric data – both fingerprints and facial images – as well as the date and place of entry and exit. The system is expected to save time in processing border crossings.

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“Ahead of the introduction of enhanced biometric passport controls between the UK and Europe, Belmond has decided to operate its Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train to and from Paris, and provide complimentary Eurostar tickets to its UK-based guests. using this service in 2024,” Withers said. Eurostar is a modern high-speed train that travels from London to Paris through the Channel Tunnel.

The original Orient Express was the first transcontinental express from Europe. It operated for more than eight decades, from 1883 to 1977, covering more than 1,700 miles from Paris to Istanbul, with brief stops in Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest. After a brief suspension during World War I, the service resumed in 1919, with a new route running from Calais and Paris to Lausanne, then via the Simplon Pass to Milan, Venice, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Sofia. Service was discontinued again during World War II and resumed in 1947.

Agatha Christie was inspired to write her 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express after learning that the train had been stuck in the snow for five days.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express was revived when Kentucky-born James Sherwood, the founder of Maritime Containershe bought some of the 1929 sleeping cars at auction in 1977. He began operating the service from London in 1982.

Since then, travelers have boarded art deco British Pullman carriages at London’s Victoria Station for the journey to Folkestone in Kent, where they then boarded coaches to cross the English Channel by ferry to Calais, France, the same journey. by boat and train that Orient Express passengers would have experienced in the 1930s. Once in France, passengers would board Belmond’s antique midnight blue continental train in time to dress for dinner.

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Starting in spring 2024, passengers will board the glamorous train in Paris before traveling to Venice, Florence and Vienna in 17 original carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, each unique. This summer, the train will add eight new suites with marble bathrooms to the other two cabin categories.

While the change is sure to disappoint some travelers, experts stress that the trip will still offer plenty of extravagance. “The biggest star on this route is and will continue to be the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express itself,” Hardy said. “An overnight trip on this historic train, regardless of the city of departure, will continue to be a must-experience for luxury travelers.”