4 ms·

"when wealthy people rode trains, they were accommodated"

Freak_NL 2y ago
Back then, sure. But last month a dining car was introduced by European Sleeper with completely normal prices on the Brussels–Prague sleeper train: https://www.europeansleeper.eu/dining-car https://www.europeansleeper.eu/dining-car The Orient Express is a fancy fantasy tour, like a high-end cruise; great for Poirot re-enactors. But Europe's network of sleeper trains is slowly expanding again, and now features at least one dining car service. The best part is that while not cheap, they are certainly affordable.
- netsharc 2y ago
  The whole article feels like an ad for the relaunch of the Orient Express next year.
  - TRiG_Ireland 2y ago
    I've been on the actual Orient-Express (which was a modern Euronightlines train) before it was withdrawn. I travelled on my InterRail pass. It has nothing in common with the luxury train service branding itself Orient Express. https://www.seat61.com/history-of-the-orient-express.htm https://www.seat61.com/history-of-the-orient-express.htm
    - netsharc 2y ago
      Ah, true, as JWZ calls it, "brand necrophilia". Seeing that page again reminds me of my bucket list item of going from London to Instanbul by train (or trains, I guess). But it'd be funny because I would pass the city I currently live in.
      - jhugo 2y ago
        > Instanbul We found Eric Adams’ HN account. And got a clue about where he really lives!
crabbone 2y ago
In Soviet Union... well, I'm not actually sure what were the rules for having a dining car on a train, but all trains I rode had one. And I was very poor. So poor I couldn't always afford a ticket. But, the system worked differently. There were "coupe" cars: the car is divided into small compartment for four people each. Each compartment has a door, a table the four have to share. Two double-decked beds. Upon request fitted with a hammock-like net that served as a crib. Then there were "platz-kart" cars: similar idea, but six people per compartment. No doors (you could see into compartments adjacent to yours). These also had "third floor" of beds (so, potentially could house nine people, but the top floor didn't have padding and was originally designed for luggage). Then there were "common" cars: these were usually the same as "platz-kart", but the third floor counted as a legitimate sitting place. Then, as times got worse, the "common" class of cars became more prevalent, and sometimes these would be repurposed short-distance train cars that didn't have any place to sleep at all (just chairs, like on a plain, or wooden benches). Any train had all kinds of cars, what was different was the proportion (as Soviet Union was headed towards its collapse, there were fewer and fewer "coupe" cars and more "common" ones). But, even in the worst times of the late 90's there still were dining cars. At some point train stuff stopped serving tea, which was the hallmark of any train travel: it came in special cups with heavy steel holders and with two bricks of sugar with the picture of train... In my last visit to the dining car, the only dish on the menu was pelmeni (Russian-style wantons) with vinegar (a more upscale version is served with sour-cream) and vodka for dessert... Even by the standards of the day it was sad. But, hey, they still had a dining car!
dredmorbius 2y ago
High-speed rail in Europe (TGV (France), ICE (Germany), AVE (Spain), Le Frecce (Italy), Eurostar (UK-FR-BE), Lyria, (FR-CH), Nightjet (AT-DE-CH), etc. are generally up-scale transport. Ticket prices are not exactly cheap. The ultra-wealthy might use private jets, but rail is fast enough for inter-city travel, generally less problematic than commercial flight, enables work en route, and tends to have better dining amenities aboard.

Back then, sure. But last month a dining car was introduced by European Sleeper with completely normal prices on the Brussels–Prague sleeper train: https://www.europeansleeper.eu/dining-car https://www.europeansleeper.eu/dining-car The Orient Express is a fancy fantasy tour, like a high-end cruise; great for Poirot re-enactors. But Europe's network of sleeper trains is slowly expanding again, and now features at least one dining car service. The best part is that while not cheap, they are certainly affordable.

netsharc 2y ago
The whole article feels like an ad for the relaunch of the Orient Express next year.
- TRiG_Ireland 2y ago
  I've been on the actual Orient-Express (which was a modern Euronightlines train) before it was withdrawn. I travelled on my InterRail pass. It has nothing in common with the luxury train service branding itself Orient Express. https://www.seat61.com/history-of-the-orient-express.htm https://www.seat61.com/history-of-the-orient-express.htm
  - netsharc 2y ago
    Ah, true, as JWZ calls it, "brand necrophilia". Seeing that page again reminds me of my bucket list item of going from London to Instanbul by train (or trains, I guess). But it'd be funny because I would pass the city I currently live in.
    - jhugo 2y ago
      > Instanbul We found Eric Adams’ HN account. And got a clue about where he really lives!

crabbone 2y ago

In Soviet Union... well, I'm not actually sure what were the rules for having a dining car on a train, but all trains I rode had one. And I was very poor. So poor I couldn't always afford a ticket. But, the system worked differently. There were "coupe" cars: the car is divided into small compartment for four people each. Each compartment has a door, a table the four have to share. Two double-decked beds. Upon request fitted with a hammock-like net that served as a crib. Then there were "platz-kart" cars: similar idea, but six people per compartment. No doors (you could see into compartments adjacent to yours). These also had "third floor" of beds (so, potentially could house nine people, but the top floor didn't have padding and was originally designed for luggage). Then there were "common" cars: these were usually the same as "platz-kart", but the third floor counted as a legitimate sitting place. Then, as times got worse, the "common" class of cars became more prevalent, and sometimes these would be repurposed short-distance train cars that didn't have any place to sleep at all (just chairs, like on a plain, or wooden benches). Any train had all kinds of cars, what was different was the proportion (as Soviet Union was headed towards its collapse, there were fewer and fewer "coupe" cars and more "common" ones). But, even in the worst times of the late 90's there still were dining cars. At some point train stuff stopped serving tea, which was the hallmark of any train travel: it came in special cups with heavy steel holders and with two bricks of sugar with the picture of train... In my last visit to the dining car, the only dish on the menu was pelmeni (Russian-style wantons) with vinegar (a more upscale version is served with sour-cream) and vodka for dessert... Even by the standards of the day it was sad. But, hey, they still had a dining car!

dredmorbius 2y ago

High-speed rail in Europe (TGV (France), ICE (Germany), AVE (Spain), Le Frecce (Italy), Eurostar (UK-FR-BE), Lyria, (FR-CH), Nightjet (AT-DE-CH), etc. are generally up-scale transport. Ticket prices are not exactly cheap. The ultra-wealthy might use private jets, but rail is fast enough for inter-city travel, generally less problematic than commercial flight, enables work en route, and tends to have better dining amenities aboard.