Eastern and Oriental Express

The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury cruise train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The train is operated by Belmond Limited. As of 2024, only two seasonal routes are operated between Singapore and Malaysia.

Fares on the Singapore to Malaysia train in 2024 (four days, three nights) start at US$3,140. All meals were included in the travelling fare but alcoholic drinks cost extra.

History

An agreement were made and signed in 1991 between Orient-Express Hotels and the Malaysian railway authority, Keretapi Tanah Melayu and Thailand railway authority, State Railway of Thailand to operate Eastern and Oriental Express on their tracks.[1] On 19 September 1993, the Eastern and Oriental Express made its inaugural journey between Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Bangkok, stopping at Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth, and Kanchanaburi, taking 4 days (3 nights).[2] During the introduction, it runs approximately 32 trips that either embark upon or disembark from Bangkok or Woodlands yearly between September and April.[3]

Rolling stock

The train was built by Hitachi and Nippon Sharyo in Japan in 1972 and operated as the Silver Star in New Zealand. All 31 carriages were later brought by visionary businessman James B. Sherwood, the founder of Orient-Express Hotels, which in 2014 changed its name to Belmond Limited. Twenty-four carriages were regauged from New Zealand's gauge to gauge for Thai and Malaysian railway lines by A & G Price of Thames, New Zealand. An extensive internal rebuild and fit-out plus exterior painting and badging was undertaken by the new owners at their (then) newly constructed maintenance depot on KTMB land in Singapore's Keppel Road rail yards (later at Plentong railway station in Johor, Malaysia). The design of the remodelling was by Gérard Gallet, the man behind much of the design and refurbishment of other Belmond products such as the Belmond British Pullman and the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.The train consists following carriages, from which only a maximum of 21 are operated at once: The train is fully air-conditioned, and each compartment has an en-suite bathroom with shower and toilets.[3] Haulage is provided by KTM diesel engines.

The layout of many carriages and the comfort classes were also used for the designing of the Great South Pacific Express (now to be used as Belmond Andean Explorer).

six Pullman sleeping cars (SD 313, SD 318, SD 322, SD 323, SD 328, SD 388), which have six cabins with bunk-bed or single occupation - this comfort category is not offered on the six-night program

seven State sleeping cars (ST 312, ST 332, ST 333, ST 362, ST 363, ST 366, ST 368), which have four twin-bed compartments

a Presidential sleeping car (SP 369) with two twin-bed cabins - more spacious bedrooms and bathrooms than State cabins

three dining cars (RS 381, RS 392, RS 399) with kitchen and tables that seat two or four - however only one or two carriages running in a train

one bar car (BR 389) with piano and another one (OB 398) with a large open-air observation deck

a saloon car (PN 393) with library room, gift shop and additional dinner seating facilities

two staff sleeping cars (SE 338, SE 339)

a power car (GR 336)

box width	300
color	000000
type	Excursion train
status	Operational
locale	Mainland Southeast Asia
operator	Belmond Limited
start	Woodlands Train Checkpoint
stock	31 rail carriages
speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
owners	Keretapi Tanah Melayu

Eastern and Oriental Express

History

Rolling stock

Train schedule

Essence of Malaysia

Wild Malaysia

Further reading

External links

References