"Belmond to launch Irish land cruise train"

dowlingm

Spotted this in the Railway Gazette RSS feed.
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/belmond-to-launch-irish-land-cruise-train.html - excerpt:

IRELAND: Luxury hotel, river cruise and train operator Belmond has announced plans to launch a land cruise train in Ireland in summer 2016. The company said Belmond Grand Hibernian would be ‘the first luxury overnight rail experience of its kind in Ireland’, with two, four and six-night trips visiting destinations including Belfast and Cork, and daily excursions including historic estates or a round of golf.

Belmond has acquired 10 MkIII coaches from national railway Iarnród Éireann, which will also provide traction and depot facilities in Dublin.

Will be interesting to see how far this goes...

EDIT: oops. Didn't see this being discussed already in the Mk3/North Wall thread in Train and Rail.

corktina

needs to be separate

Seems a great plan, hopefully will bring back regular loco haulage and Mk3s

Aard

I get the impression that this will be marketed mainly at overseas tourists, probably Americans, given that there'll be some Celtic mythology woven into the experience.

corktina

who else?

strandroad

Aard wrote: »

I get the impression that this will be marketed mainly at overseas tourists, probably Americans, given that there'll be some Celtic mythology woven into the experience.

I hope they find signal faults wonderfully quirky...
"The fairies did it!"

whisky_galore

corktina wrote: »

who else?

Definitely not aimed at the great unwashed.

Grandeeod

You can see the marketing power of Belmond by the amount of national and international coverage this is getting.

corktina

I wonder if the surge in RPSI overhauls is linked to this? Sending 171 to the UK and 131 due in service soon and 85 not long entered service.... just saying

whisky_galore

corktina wrote: »

I wonder if the surge in RPSI overhauls is linked to this? Sending 171 to the UK and 131 due in service soon and 85 not long entered service.... just saying

The RPSI need to do their own rolling program of overhauls to keep things ticking over. Imagine the land cruise is going to be diesel hauled anyway.

corktina

it's hardly a rolling programme with all three reckoned to be in service next year! three blue 4-4-0s, imagine. I can't recall three 4-4-0s together on the big island even!

whisky_galore

Far easier to work it with diesel, steam is just making a lot of unnecessary work and potential headaches for same result; IE steam and rpsi crew availability, rpsi personnel on site at wee hours for lighting up, watering points, turning, etc etc. Don't think luxury train clientele would care too much what's hauling it, so long as it looks decent and maintains the advertised schedule.

end of the road

he didn't mean the train will be steam hauled. the mark 3s can't work with steam engines anyway as far as i know. rather that a steam train ride could be one part of the over all experience. but we'l find out in due course.

end of the road

end of the road wrote: »

he didn't mean the train will be steam hauled. the mark 3s can't work with steam engines anyway as far as i know. rather that a steam train ride could be one part of the over all experience. but we'l find out in due course.

Correct, I don't think there are any air-braked steam locomotives in Ireland.

corktina

Karsini wrote: »

Correct, I don't think there are any air-braked steam locomotives in Ireland.

good point! I wondered who'd be first to spot that.:cool:

Grandeeod

Whatever the bull****....Belmond will make it work and best of luck to them. On the side line rail tours ireland will run whatever they want and the RPSI will do the same. Personally I believe enthusiasts will support the the RPSI and loaded tourists will decide on taking a punt on the Emerald Isle Express or the Grand Hibernian, but I've no doubt that the Belmond gig will win out.

petronius

Any idea of planned routes? will underused rail lines be used say wexford-limerick or mullingar to athlone, navan-drogheda?

corktina

Ask yourself why those routes would be of interest to tourists. (Mullingar to Athlone is never going to see trains again)

whisky_galore

corktina wrote: »

Ask yourself why those routes would be of interest to tourists. (Mullingar to Athlone is never going to see trains again)

Unless they're 'bashers' that won the Euromillions.

petronius

If it is a "Rail Cruise" service surely the selling point is the train going along costal scenic routes, and through our green country side
and you want them to be going say from port stewart to belfast and on to dublin and down to roslare but also routes out west to get to cork, and galway especially

Rashers72

Wonder where they will overnight? Example: Sidings in Wexford or north of Waterford station. Problem is a lot of the sidings are old freight based ones, with generally pretty horrible locations. Those close to Dublin are heavily graffitied, or left covered in rubbish.
Also who do we think will do all the conversion work to the carriages? Big empty facilities at Inchicore, but will the unions play ball?

corktina

I'd say they will be parked at a spare platform. Plenty of them at night

L1011

Interfleet did the last BR stock conversion for Irish use (the Waterford line snack car). That required re-gauging too so was a much bigger job.

end of the road

Rashers72 wrote: »

Wonder where they will overnight? Example: Sidings in Wexford or north of Waterford station. Problem is a lot of the sidings are old freight based ones, with generally pretty horrible locations. Those close to Dublin are heavily graffitied, or left covered in rubbish.
Also who do we think will do all the conversion work to the carriages? Big empty facilities at Inchicore, but will the unions play ball?

this company aren't a threat to IE, and if the company are charged something toards the infrastructure, it will be some income for IE. so i can't see why the unions wouldn't play ball.

petronius

surely there would be some revenue for IE and NIR from it, some maintenance work as well as some charge for use of the lines

corktina

Regauging is a quite easy job....disconnect brakes and earth strap....lift body replace bogies and reverse procedure.

Grandeeod

Belmond will do their refit wherever they want and pay for it like any private enterprise does. Do not let the rotten entity associated with CIE interfer with this unless they are directly involved. If they are, then they will play the fiddle for Belmond and the coaches will be outshopped here and without any fuss. Bill paid. Thank you and **** off!

This is real business and nothing like the RPSI, ITG or IRRS "run a train for the craic like" crap.

whisky_galore

corktina wrote: »

I'd say they will be parked at a spare platform. Plenty of them at night

The area would ideally have to be manned all night, in case people want to go into town to the local pub or whatever. I'm sure if enough money was thrown at it even that issue would go away.

petronius

Maybe it will encourage investment in some stations, more shops , cafes, restaurants, bars, toilets etc.

whisky_galore

petronius wrote: »

Maybe it will encourage investment in some stations, more shops , cafes, restaurants, bars, toilets etc.

Maybe they will tart them up, but that would be about it. When you're paying that sort of dosh you would expect a land cruise to be more or less self sufficient.

corktina

On the contrary, there are opportunities there for private enterprise in locations where this train may pull in regularly, just as happens with Cruise Ships.

Judgement Day

corktina wrote: »

On the contrary, there are opportunities there for private enterprise in locations where this train may pull in regularly, just as happens with Cruise Ships.

Do you have visions of opening a souvenir shop at Banteer?

corktina

I was thinking of training to be a Highwayman.