Getting an Icon Back on Track

As you well may know, the Orient Express—a luxury train service that historically traveled the length of continental Europe, from Paris, France, to Istanbul, Turkey, beginning in 1883—ceased its operations in 2009. The line made famous by authors such as Bram Stoker, Agatha Christie, Graham Greene, and Ian Fleming was reportedly the victim of high-speed rail travel and budget airline flights.

But lamenting the Orient Express’ disappearance may have been rather premature. The Travel + Leisure magazine Web site carries the following happy news:

Europe is already known for its world-class rail system, but for an experience that's about more than just transportation, no train ride is more iconic than the Orient Express. After shutting down operations in 1977*, this historic, luxury rail experience is making its way back to Italy with new trains and itineraries going beyond the famed Paris-to-Istanbul route ...

In 2023, the new Orient Express La Dolce Vita will welcome passengers on six trains offering six itineraries that explore Italy from north to south, along with international routes visiting Paris, Istanbul, and Split, Croatia. Guests can spend anywhere from one to three nights aboard the new trains, with plenty of time at each stop to enjoy the destination. No matter which of the six routes guests choose, a stopover in Rome will be at the heart of every journey, allowing travelers to experience a stay at Minerva, the first Orient Express hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2024.

Who knows, it may yet be possible to realize my longtime dream of one day riding the Orient Express myself.

(Hat tip to In Reference to Murder.)

* That date is quite misleading. As Wikipedia explains, “In 1977, the Orient Express stopped serving Istanbul. Its immediate successor, a through overnight service from Paris to Bucharest, was later cut back in 1991 to Budapest, and in 2001 was again shortened to Vienna, before departing for the last time from Paris on Friday 8 June 2007. After this, the route, still called the ‘Orient Express,’ was shortened to start from Strasbourg instead, occasioned by the inauguration of the LGV Est which afforded much shorter travel times from Paris to Strasbourg.”

“The Most Famous Train on Earth”

This Sunday, July 11, PBS-TV will premiere the first of three new episodes in its Hercule Poirot series as part of PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery! That episode--based on Agatha Christie’s famous 1934 novel, Murder on the Orient Express, and starring David Suchet as the brainy Belgian sleuth--will begin at 9 p.m. ET/PST. Episodes to follow will be based on Third Girl (July 18) and Appointment with Death (July 25).

To build up interest in these new Poirots, PBS has assembled a documentary, David Suchet on the Orient Express, which will air tonight (check you local TV listings for start times). Mystery Book News supplies some background on this TV special:

Commissioned by ITV, the documentary will touch on the incident in 1929 that inspired Christie’s book: the train was stuck in a snowdrift for 10 days, 60 miles outside Istanbul, carrying a full complement of passengers who survived only with the assistance of nearby Turkish villagers.

With insight and charm, Suchet leads an epic journey on this iconic train. From London, he travels to Calais in northern France to board the Venice Simplon Orient Express, and begins his 2,000-mile journey through six countries, with a breathtaking stop in Venice on the way to Prague. The delightful Suchet revels in the artistry and beauty of the train, and explores its attraction for Agatha Christie, who used it as the setting for one of her most recognized novels. [The documentary] will also use archive material to tell the train’s history from its inaugural “Express d’Orient” journey across Europe in 1883 to its role in both world wars.

You can watch a brief preview here.

UPDATE: You can watch that full 46-minute PBS special here.