Best new train journeys around the world
For those who prefer to explore the world at a leisurely pace, these rail itineraries perfectly combine adventure and comfort.
The chugging, rumbling romance of trains has always appealed to travellers who favour a leisurely pace. An enamoured Emily Dickinson wrote of one, “I like to see it lap the Miles/And lick the Valleys up/And stop to feed itself at Tanks/And then-prodigious step/Around a Pile of Mountains”.
Monisha Rajesh, a London-based travel writer, likes the chance encounters a train affords. “You don’t know who’s going to come into that compartment or who you’ll chat with,” says Rajesh, who clocked about 16,000km on trains in 2022.
“People talk very willingly in a way they normally don’t. It’s great fun.”
Here’s a lineup of prodigious new rail lines and serene journeys to book for a getaway.
Kiwi coast caravan
No plane seat lets you spot sheep and soak in bucolic views while sipping sauvignon blanc. Great Journeys New Zealand’s new tours, suitable for everything from weekend trips to 17-day journeys, crisscross the picturesque archipelago. One from Christchurch to Greymouth cuts through the peaks and glacial valleys of the South Island’s “spine”, ideal if you love the grandeur of Mordor, the fictional Middle-earth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Another winds along the jagged Pacific Coast of the South Island, from Picton to Christchurch, allowing passengers to pop into the open-air carriages to breathe in the salty atmosphere. Train packages from about $NZ699 ($638).
Oregon’s old-school jaunt
“Train travel gives you a sense of the vastness and diversity of the country,” says David Brown, president of Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts. One such opportunity is Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad’s Spring Splendor Ride, which chugs along the craggy coast of the Pacific Northwest, huffing steam at 16km/h on restored tracks laid in 1911. Starting in April, the two-hour itinerary includes the coastal town of Rockaway Beach, with its quaint lolly stores and hip bakeries, and continues up to Wheeler, at the mouth of the Nehalem River for a 45-minute layover, then heads back. During the ride, children can have an “I Spy” field day, searching for white-tailed deer, beavers and bald eagles. Romantics might prefer an evening excursion in June through September, timed for nights lit by a full moon. Tickets from $US28 ($40) for Spring Splendor; from $US65 for Moonlight Excursion.
Vermont, now and then
The last time a train service ran directly from Manhattan to Burlington in Vermont, in 1954, Americans were paying $US3 for a pair of saddle shoes. Once the nearly eight-hour route reopened last summer on Amtrak’s extended Ethan Allen line, New Yorkers who were tired of subway stress and ready for mountain air could journey through the Hudson River Valley and roll into the Green Mountain State’s most populous city by the shores of Lake Champlain. In this university town, lively in all seasons, you’ll find enough breweries, such as Switchback Brewing Company and Zero Gravity Brewery, as well as cosy music venues such as Radio Bean, to occupy a few days. Tickets from $US75.
Swiss alpine views
Train trippers who want a sumptuous jaunt can reserve forward-facing heated seats on the sleek train that rambles southwest from Interlaken to Montreux (and vice versa) via the Golden Pass Express route. The sunlit peaks visible through picture windows might inspire a would-be Percy Bysshe Shelley to attempt another Mont Blanc, the Romantic poet’s ode to the Chamonix Valley nearby. Local wine, caviar and charcuterie can be ordered during the three-hour route, which passes Lake Thun in the Bernese Alps and rolls into its final stop, Montreux, with a glimpse of Lake Geneva. Tickets from about $US80.
Bound for glories
The Orient Express prides itself on its super-luxe routes, and with its La Dolce Vita trips launching in 2024, the iconic train makes a grand return to Italy with cars designed by Milan firm Dimorestudio. The glories of the Italian countryside are evident, from the northern Monferrato to the vineyards and hills of the central region. Tickets from about $US2177 a person in deluxe cabins.
The Wall Street Journal