Luxury Train Travel Is Booming — Here’s Why Travelers Are Paying Over $100K a Ticket - video Dailymotion

Fortune

Luxury train travel is experiencing a boom: with sold-out trips, soaring demand, and waitlists stretching into the thousands. Once a niche offering, the industry now draws affluent travelers looking for unique, slow-paced experiences. Here’s an inside look at what’s fueling this resurgence and what’s behind the eye-popping price tags – including Railbookers’ 59-day, $124,000 around-the-world itinerary.

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00:00For $124,000, you could fly private or ride a luxury train around the globe.

00:08Once considered a nostalgic novelty, high-end rail travel is booming, and it speaks to a larger

00:13shift that's happening in the upper reaches of the travel market. Luxury rail is having its moment.

00:19Most of our travelers are not rail aficionados either. They're just looking for that experience

00:23to say, oh, let's try that by train. Over the last few years, demand for luxury train travel

00:28has skyrocketed, with waitlist stretching into the thousands.

00:32As of now going into next year, we have just over 1,500 people on the waitlist.

00:36But in the era of booming luxury travel, some high-end rail experiences, with prices reportedly

00:42topping $100,000 a night, can feel out of reach compared to other options. Here's what's fueling

00:48the growth of luxury train travel, and why wealthy passengers are opting for private cabins with

00:53curated journeys around the globe.

01:01In the late 19th century, luxury trains like Europe's Orient Express defined high society travel.

01:07Kings, queens, and master spies all travel in these same opulent surroundings.

01:13Now, that type of golden age experience is once again drawing wealthy travelers to the rails.

01:17So when it comes to luxury travel, the rail itself is the destination.

01:22Frank Marini is the CEO of Railbookers. The rail-focused tour operator works with various

01:28luxury train companies to craft custom, end-to-end rail vacations around the world.

01:33We connect luxury rail with hotels, sightseeing, national trains all over the world to customize and

01:41personalize any trip for any guests.

01:43In the past few years, the company has seen skyrocketing demand.

01:48Last year was the best year in the company's history.

01:50This year is already the best year in the company's history.

01:54Unlike bus tours and flights that simply get you there,

01:56Railbooker says luxury train travel makes the journey itself the experience.

02:01The train sees places that you can't see by car, by boat.

02:05It's also in many cases your dining experience, your hotel experience, even your social experience.

02:11The boom in luxury rail parallels a broader resurgence in train travel.

02:16Global passenger numbers have climbed steadily over the past four years.

02:22We've seen in the past year at least a 65% year-over-year growth in our luxury rail travel in general.

02:29Tara Minson is the president of IntelliTravel, a global host travel agency with over 100,000 members.

02:36Rail, luxury rail in particular, used to be a bit of an older maybe demographic.

02:41And I think the demographic has even changed a lot.

02:44We're seeing a lot of millennial and Gen Z's even wanting to experience a luxury rail vacation.

02:50It's that bragging rights and it's the sustainability element of it too,

02:55which is really appealing to like the millennial and Gen Z demographic.

02:59In the U.S. alone, Amtrak set an all-time ridership record in 2024, a 15% increase from the previous year.

03:08Rail travel prior to COVID was on a growth pattern for many years.

03:12Then COVID happened.

03:13But post that, it's extraordinary and it's rocketed, especially in the luxury rail segment.

03:18And part of it is how people are valuing life post-COVID.

03:21People are not waiting.

03:22In 2024, rail bookers luxury bookings jumped 55% year over year.

03:28The company credits this post-pandemic surge to a renewed appetite for immersive, slow travel adventures.

03:35Unlike bullet trains that hit nearly 200 miles per hour,

03:38luxury trains intentionally travel at a slower pace.

03:42You could have anything from a Michelin-style chef on the train.

03:46The accommodations are world-class, world-class entertainment.

03:50Luxury rail companies say their amenities are designed to match five-star standards.

03:54From private bathrooms with heated floors to personalized service from onboard butlers.

03:59So luxury really sometimes brings you back to a period of time,

04:03whether it's getting dressed up in a tuxedo for one night,

04:05it's the piano player at the bar playing until the last person leaves at 4 in the morning.

04:09They want every aspect to be perfect.

04:12Another draw of luxury rail travel is off-the-beaten-path experiences.

04:17From journeys in the Italian countryside and rural Japan to itineraries in the Peruvian Andes.

04:23But they don't come cheap.

04:25Railbooker's 2025 around-the-world rail journey costs $124,000.

04:30The 59-day trip spans more than 20 cities across 12 countries,

04:35aboard seven different high-end trains.

04:37You'd see around the world by cruise.

04:39You'd see around the world by private jet.

04:42And we kind of brainstormed to say, well, what about, could you do it by rail?

04:44And then what about luxury rail?

04:46And we put it out there and the demand has been extraordinary.

04:50Mostly because people didn't know you could actually do it.

04:53Throughout the four-continent trek, customers can go on a safari in India,

04:57cruise the Ganges River, and receive a private tour of the Louvre Museum.

05:02As of June 2025, railbooker said the experience had a waitlist of over 1,500 travelers.

05:08These customers are definitely well-traveled customers.

05:10These are not first-time travelers.

05:12They're looking for unique experiences.

05:15Some of the most expensive rail offerings come from Belmont,

05:19a luxury hospitality and leisure company.

05:21We have a portfolio currently in soon to be seven trains around the world.

05:27Probably the most famous is the Venice Simple and Orange Express,

05:31which has been running since 1982.

05:34Belmont's Grand Suites are among its most sought-after options.

05:37A two-night journey aboard the Royal Scotsman train starts at around 13,000 euros per person.

05:43When we introduced the Grand Suites, it was pre-pandemic on the Venice Simple and Orange Express.

05:49After our first year, we realized that they were effectively all sailed out for the year.

05:53They're generally the first to sell.

05:55They're the ones that are in demand.

05:56We often have waitlists for those on particular journeys.

06:00But the luxury rail market's growth extends beyond the ultra-wealthy demographics.

06:05For two nights on Canada's Rocky Mountaineer train,

06:07a standard cabin starts at about 1,600 U.S. dollars.

06:11A big thing that we've seen is what I like to call little luxury.

06:15So it's this whole group of people who want that little bit of luxury,

06:19but not the whole luxury.

06:21So it may be that two-day, one-night on the Orient Express.

06:24Well, that's their anniversary.

06:25That's the bucket list.

06:26But then they may continue on to other parts of Italy.

06:29So we're seeing much more customization across the board.

06:33Still, the luxury travel market is crowded, with cruise lines, private jets, and five-star resorts

06:39all vying for a similar demographic of wealthy travelers.

06:42I think the impression of rail in particular is that, you know, you're riding on a rackety old train,

06:50and, you know, it's not comfortable, and it's merely just a means of transportation.

06:55And it's really changed a lot.

06:57I think that the challenge that rail is having is just continuously

07:01looking to change that mindset and build better brand awareness.

07:04Luxury cruises occupy a similar corner of the market.

07:08Premium brands like Regent Seven Seas offer global voyages that start at around $86,000.

07:13If you can afford and you want that luxury experience, that Belmont, that $12,000 suite,

07:20by all means, you can find it on rail just as much as you can find it on cruise,

07:24just as much as you can find it on land as well.

07:26And while airlines and cruise lines tend to offer budget-friendly tiers to attract a broader audience,

07:32luxury rail is embracing a more exclusive approach.

07:35Some companies, like Belmond, are enticing wealthy travelers with pricey upgrades.

07:40Because our Grand Suites were so popular, we really thought that there was a need for,

07:47you know, perhaps another level of accommodation.

07:50On Belmond's Venice Simplin Orient Express, a night in the L'Observatoire suite

07:55reportedly starts at around $100,000.

07:58The more than 330-square-foot suite is the train's largest accommodation, spanning an entire carriage.

08:05You have your own private butler.

08:07You know, you can have your meals in that compartment,

08:11or you can go along and have the meals in the restaurant.

08:15Actually, the space is yours.

08:16Belmond is also expanding its luxury train footprint.

08:20It's our new sleeping train, which is called the Britannic Explorer,

08:24offering three-night itineraries to some spectacular scenery throughout England and Wales.

08:29I think we're at the beginning of the reboot.

08:31I look at different categories that I've seen across the years, let's say glamping, right?

08:35You see things coming in and out, and they come in for a period of time,

08:38and then people forget what happened to them.

08:40But rail travel, I think this is just the beginning.

Luxury Train Travel Is Booming — Here’s Why Travelers Are Paying Over $100K a Ticket

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