(CNN) Queen Victoria was the first British queen to travel by train in her own private royal saloons in the early 1840s, but King Charles III appears to be putting an end to this honorable custom more than 180 years later.
According to the Royal Household’s most recent budget report, the present British royal train, which is adorned in its opulent claret livery, will be retired by March 2027 in order to ensure the best value for taxpayer dollars. Senior royals will instead travel between their homes in England and Scotland and on formal tours throughout the nation using scheduled trains and helicopters.
The decision to halt the royal train would signal the most heartfelt goodbyes, but James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, the archaic title of the person in charge of royal money, emphasized that we must not let the past limit us as we move forward.
Naturally, the royal train has been a part of the country’s existence for many decades, and everyone involved loves and cares for it, he said.
In Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, the world’s first railway town, where royal trains have been painstakingly housed and maintained since the first carriage was built in 1842, the loss will be felt more acutely than anywhere else.
A sense of occasion
Philip Marsh, senior railway manager, historian, and author of The Full Works, a book about Wolverton and its royal train ties, claims that everyone in the town knows someone who has worked on the royal train and is extremely proud of it.
Andrea Rossi, CEO of DB Cargo UK, which has operated the train for the British government for 30 years, said the news was extremely distressing. For the larger railway family as well as for DB Cargo UK.
When the royal train is on the network, there’s always a huge feeling of occasion. Being invited to operate what is undoubtedly the most prestigious train in the UK and a part of our national legacy makes our drivers extremely proud.
The inside of the modern British royal train is unexpectedly minimalist and functional, more like a business hotel from the 1970s than a palace-on-wheels, in contrast to the opulent velvet and gold-lined royal carriages of the 19th century. Although it still provides safe lodging for official travel, its utilization has significantly decreased recently due to its deteriorating fixtures and furnishings.
Prior to its widespread use during Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2002 and 2012, when it toured the nation and was observed by sizable crowds of well-wishers, retirement was contemplated once in 1997. In order to express gratitude to important workers for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince William and his wife Kate, who are now the Prince and Princess of Wales, embarked on a 1,2500-mile train tour of Britain in December 2020.
Steam and ceremony
It has even been accompanied with exquisitely rebuilt steam locomotives during the past 20 years, including the renowned Flying Scotsman and Duchess of Sutherland, which has given the event even more glitz and glamour.
It was supposed to carry the Queen’s coffin from Scotland to London after her death in September 2022, but it was shelved because of security concerns along the route.
The current royal train, which was constructed in the 1970s, is nearing the end of its useful life. Tens of millions of dollars would probably be needed to update the collection of highly customized and modified cars to present standards. It would be much more costly to purchase replacement cars with custom designs, especially now that the Royal Family is receiving more public assistance to renovate Buckingham Palace, which is expected to cost $500 million.
The decision by King Charles, who is well-known for his support of the environment, to abandon the train in favor of less environmentally friendly alternatives like helicopters has shocked and saddened some. Critics have also pointed to the announcement’s timing, which comes only weeks before Britain commemorates the 200th anniversary of public rail travel.
However, the numbers don’t appear to be good.
According to the Royal Household’s annual financial review, the royal train only made two excursions in 2024–25, spending more than $105,000. That is comparable to $172,000 for scheduled flights, $4,600 for 141 helicopter rides, and over $819,000 for 55 private charter flights. The total cost of royal travel last year was $6.4 million, which was $682,000 more than the previous year.
End of an era
The royal family of Britain is not the only one who lets their trains run. The kingdoms of Sweden, the Netherlands, and Japan have also retired theirs throughout the past 25 years. Although they are rarely utilized, only Denmark and Norway still have royal saloons.
In 1842, the London & Birmingham Railway built the first carriage specifically for a British royal at Wolverton Works for Queen Adelaide, King William IV’s widow. Before a custom car was put into service in 1869, Queen Victoria traveled in adapted carriages for 25 years. Victoria and her family considered traveling the nation as part of their job, and British rail companies soon vied to offer them ever-more-opulent carriages.
By 1897, the Great Western Railway had constructed a full train of six cars for Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Over the years, royal trains were the first to introduce amenities like air conditioning, bedrooms, radios, telephones, electric lights, onboard restrooms, and opulent furnishings.
According to rail historian Marsh, innovations aboard royal trains have permeated regular passenger trains in the same manner that Formula 1 technology has permeated modern automobiles. It is the safest mode of transportation and enables principals to unwind, receive on-the-go briefings, and arrive at engagements relaxed after an overnight flight.
A sizable collection of royal automobiles, including armor-plated saloons, were passed down to the nationalized British Railways following World War II. Before the current train was put together for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, these were in use.
A final farewell tour of Britain is anticipated for the royal train before its retirement in 2027, providing rail enthusiasts and royal observers with a final opportunity to see its passing. The survival percentage of royal rail cars is still unknown, but many of them are housed in museums like York’s National Railway Museum in Britain.
Marsh says, “I don’t want to see them scrapped.” Whether it’s the NRM or a new museum at their Wolverton house, I’d want to see them on exhibit in a registered museum.
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