It’s an Uphill Battle for Luxury Trains in the U.S.

Traveling by train was once the epitome of class and decadence. I’m not talking about your standard, run-of-the-mill Amtrak here. I’m thinking old-fashioned luxury–sleeper cars, white tablecloths, and sweeping vistas rolling past your window–the works. I have always romanticized this type of travel (for some reason all of my fantasy train rides involved snow-covered peaks, filet mignon, and a roaring fire. Fire hazards don't exist in fantasy train rides, you know). But, like many Americans of my generation, I have never experienced it firsthand.    

In the United States, luxury trains seem to be a thing of the past, elbowed aside by airplanes, interstate highways, and cruise lines. The events of the past month only solidify that trend. As Jane Engle of the L.A. Times reported, GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, formerly American Orient Express, ceased operations due to financial difficulties late last month. The company, a standout in the U.S. market, offered high-end rail travel across scenic North America, complete with fine dining and private sleeper cars; all in fully restored vintage trains.

The events certainly caught many by surprise (including IT, as we blogged about GrandLuxe when it teamed up with Amtrak in '07) – most notably those customers who have already booked trips for the upcoming months. This past week, the company annouced plans to sell the 31 cars from their luxury locomotive, the GrandLuxe Express. (They presented it as a "unique opportunity for a sophisticated investor." While you're at it, why not snag a villa as well?) While they've effectively pulled the breaks, the rest of the rail industry is wondering what this all means.

So, what happened? After all, it wasn't long ago that GrandLuxe was ranked internationally and London’s Sunday Times was singing the railway’s praises.

That question remains to be answered. To add to the confusion, luxury train travel seems to be actually growing elsewhere in the world.

In India, the Economic Times recently reported new plans for a pan-India luxury railway; this just following the recent introduction of Golden Chariot, which explores India's southern state of Karnataka in style, in the spring.

And around the world, young upstarts such as Central Europe's Danube Express and China's Tangula are joining the ranks of luxury rail powerhouses such as the The Pullman Orient Express, which has been pampering passengers for more than one hundred years.

Why are luxury trains going by the wayside in the U.S. and flourishing in the rest of the world?

I'm afraid I don't know. However, if someone is interested in funding a year-long, around-the-world study of luxury trains (passenger behavior, dining options, scenery, and so on), I will be glad to do some more research.

Photo: 1940's-era lounge car, via grandluxerail.com

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Comments

[Caitlin]

There are a few reasons why train travel has not taken off as it's done in Europe or parts of Asia. A lot of it comes back to speed - the rest of the world has invested in high speed rail so it's now possible to travel from central London to central Paris by train in 2 hours, for example. Trains in the US are slow and clunky and there are two reasons for this. Firstly, rail companies have not invested in high speed trains. Secondly, outdated laws say that trains are not allowed to tilt beyond a certain angle. So quite often a company like Amtrak will buy the latest, greatest high speed tilt train from Europe and then hobble it so it doesn't tilt - and also doesn't go very fast as a result.

[Andrew Quested]

I wrote that article for The Sunday Times that you mentioned here. I have also travelled by train in Europe and, more recently, in Australia. The simple fact is that trains in America are, at least in my experience, wobbly. The tracks are simply not as smooth as those in Europe or Australia. I guess this is because the clear emphasis on rail in America is freight, whereas passenger rail use is more common in other parts of the world. There may be less maintenance of rail lines in America - I don't know... but the ride is a lot less comfortable there.

It is a shame - as the experience of riding the rails is a real pleasure. I'm deeply sorry to see GrandLuxe go.

Here's the snow-capped shot for you:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quested/1927322018/

[Janelle]

Lovely photo Andrew, and its always nice to hear the story straight from the source. I for one would love for America to have a better rail system - I much prefer taking the train over flying these days.

[Monica]

Although the GrandLuxe was one of North America's great luxury trains, don't forget that there are some wonderful trains north of the border too! The Rocky Mountaineer (www.rockymountaineer.com) and the Royal Canadian Pacific (www.royalcanadianpacific.com) both offer trips in the Rocky Mountains - the Royal Canadian Pacific was actually one of NGT's "Tours of a Lifetime" this year. It is one of the "old-fashioned luxury, sleeper car, white table cloth..." elegant, decadent trains that is refered to in the article above. Train travel will never be the same in North America as in Europe - our countries are too big and the line that is there is required for industry. The loss of the GrandLuxe is unfortunate to passenger rail travel in North America but there are still some great passenger rail services out there for those who are looking for them.

[Marilyn Terrell]

You're right Monica, you can still take the Royal Canadian Pacific through the Rocky Mountain in style :
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2008/05/these-are-a-few.html