One of Southeast Asia's most luxurious trains will return to the tracks in 2024

Fans of the golden age of luxury rail travel have plenty to get excited about these days, especially as 2024 rolls around.

While the year begins with a sad farewell, as rail operator Belmond finally discontinues the London-to-Folkestone leg of its famous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) itinerary, there is consolation in that the same company will also be finally returning its Southeast Asia counterpart, the Eastern and Oriental Express (E&O), to full operation in February 2024.  

The E&O was suspended from service in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; now it returns to the tracks with a refreshed interior and two new routes: a pair of seasonal three-night journeys that both begin in Singapore. These will make their way into parts of Malaysia that its cherrywood carriages have never before ventured.

In February, the Essence of Malaysia route starts chugging out of Singapore’s Woodlands Station and stops at Kuala Lumpur before continuing on to Alor Setar station and Langkawi, where boat trips to the Pulau Payar Marine Park let travellers snorkel among inquisitive angel fish and ribbon-like moray eels. Other highlights include a pit stop on Penang Island and the chance to explore the colonial streets and Peranakan cooking of George Town.

Alternatively, between March and October, Belmond’s Wild Malaysia trip will weave jungle, rubber and palm plantations en route to Merapoh Station and Taman Negara National Park, home to the one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Its thick jungles are a habitat for everything from hornbills to Malayan tigers, and passengers will have a chance to meet the local villagers working to protect these endangered wild cats, glimpsing a world far removed from the cocktails and fine dining that they’ll return to in the evening.

Onboard, guests will experience three different classes of accommodation – the presidential suite, state cabin and Pullman cabin – each boasting their own charm, though all accented with the same exquisite cherrywood and burr panelling. It recalls an era when slow travel was the norm; something more and more people are now embracing as a low-carbon alternative. 

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Despite its nostalgic air, the E&O only began running in the early 1990s. Its design inspiration is clearly a mix of its own European counterpart, the VSOE, whose own restored vintage carriages date from the 1920s and ‘30s, and the 1932 film Shanghai Express. Its interior practically gushes with Jim Thompson Thai silks, Malaysian embroidery and hand-tufted carpets.

The first version of the E&O ran in 1993 between Singapore and Bangkok, though its original carriages previously belonged to the Silver Star, a New Zealand-based luxury service that operated between Wellington and Auckland in the 1970s. It wasn’t until businessman James Sherwood bought and transported them to Singapore for refurbishment that the train was born.

Rail fans will also be acutely aware that this isn’t the only Orient Express tribute act that will be hitting the tracks soon. Accor’s Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express, which includes 17 immaculately restored cars rescued from the very first Orient Express train, will start tracing that service’s original Paris-to-Istanbul route in 2024, reputedly in time for the Paris Olympics.

It all adds up to a heady time for nostalgic rail travellers, who would be forgiven for thinking that it’s 1924, not 2024.

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