With a three-day rail trip to Cornwall costing more than a holiday to Venice on the Orient Express, you might expect Britain’s newest luxury sleeper train to run on time.
But to the dismay of its well-heeled passengers – who had forked out a minimum of £22,400 for a ‘curated’ luxury weekend tour of the West Country – the maiden voyage of the refurbished Britannic Explorer has hit the buffers.
Guests had celebrated the launch of the rebranded 1970s train with a glitzy three-hour champagne-fuelled launch party headed by actress Keira Knightley at London Euston station last Thursday, with the inaugural trip originally scheduled for departure the following day.
Instead, the ten-coach train, rebranded with bespoke fitted carpets, plush furnishings and commissioned artworks, was returned to a depot near Southampton for ‘final refinements’.
Some passengers are understood to have paid upwards of £50,000 for a three-night stay in one of the train’s three ‘grand suites’.
Train operator Belmond, which also runs the Orient Express, says it offered passengers a full refund ‘including associated travel costs’, but refused to say why the Britannic Explorer’s maiden journey from London’s Victoria station to Penzance had been derailed.
One enthusiast who spotted the train, which has a top speed of 75mph, at the Euston station launch party said: ‘By anyone’s standards this is a really expensive train trip in the UK.
‘There’s obviously been some complications. But I tell you what, if I’d paid 55 grand – which is what the most expensive cabin was for the trip – and then been told it was cancelled, I’d probably be a bit cheesed off.
To the dismay of its well-heeled passengers, the maiden voyage of the refurbished Britannic Explorer (pictured) has hit the buffers
Guests celebrated the launch of the rebranded 1970s train with a glitzy three-hour champagne-fuelled launch party headed by actress Keira Knightley (above) at London Euston station last Thursday
Instead of departing on Friday, the ten-coach train, rebranded with bespoke fitted carpets, plush furnishings and commissioned artworks, was returned to a depot near Southampton for ‘final refinements’
Some passengers are understood to have paid upwards of £50,000 for a three-night stay in one of the train’s three ‘grand suites’
‘There was this big, noisy launch party on platform 16, screened off so regular travellers couldn’t see in. By Friday morning the train had gone from Euston back to the Eastleigh works near Southampton.’
Train enthusiasts spotted Britannic Explorer when it was brought up to Victoria station for a test run on June 13 and noticed there was a problem with its retro-fitted automatic doors.
Belmond, which is owned by French luxury goods giant LVMH, says on its website that the Britannic Explorer will now be ‘introduced’ on July 21 with a journey from London to mid-Wales.
A company spokeswoman said: ‘The adjustment to the schedule was due to final refinements being made to ensure the train operates at the highest possible standard.
‘Our team is committed to delivering an exceptional experience.’
