Orient Express: how a luxury train transformed travel in Europe

Written by Lisa Abitbol

Published on January 25, 2025

In the collective imagination, the Orient Express evokes adventure, luxury and stories of spies and diplomats crossing Europe. Behind this mythical train, which has inspired literature and cinema - from Agatha Christie's “Crime of the Orient Express” to “From Russia with Love”, James Bond's second film - lies 140 years of railway history.

For our podcast Je t’offre un rail ? in partnership with SNCF Connect, we welcomed Arthur Mettetal, railway historian and specialist in railway and industrial heritage. He specializes in the management of corporate archives and collections, and is also General Delegate of the Orient Express Endowment Fund.

He has just published a book, Orient-Express. Une histoire et un patrimoine d'entreprises (19e-21e siècle), published by Classiques Garnier. Speaking to Lisa, he looks back at the fascinating legacy of the Orient Express to the technological, economic and cultural development of the railway world. All aboard for a journey through time...

The origins of the Orient Express

From idea to innovation

The story of the Orient Express is rooted in a young Belgian engineer's trip to the United States. In 1869, Georges Nagelmackers discovered the revolutionary concept of the sleeping car, invented by George Pullman. As Arthur Mettetal explains, “In those days, young men from good families were sent to the United States to observe and bring back innovative ideas to Europe.” This phenomenon, known as Americanism, was to transform the European railway landscape.

Back in Europe, Nagelmackers set about adapting this model to the continent, with the ambition of adding European luxury standards.In 1876, he founded the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, laying the foundations for what would become the Orient Express. The inaugural journey from Paris to Constantinople took place on October 4, 1883, a date that will go down in rail history.
Looking for practical advice, feedback and inspiration for your next train journey? Make yourself comfortable and put on your headphones: board now for “Je t'offre un rail?”, the podcast that will get you hooked on trains, in partnership with SNCF Connect!

Luxury on rails: excellence as a signature

What made luxury rail travel special at the time? "Woodwork, marquetry, leather, and beds that slept as well as in a Parisian hotel...”

The dining cars embodied French gastronomic excellence:

“The arts of the table were omnipresent, with Christofle silverware and elaborate menus to rival the best Parisian tables.” - Arthur Mettetal

As for service, it was just as remarkable: “The conductors, who were not the mechanics, were responsible for the well-being of the passengers.They managed everything, from luggage to security to the most specific requests,” explains Arthur. You can imagine the experience!

A cultural bridge between East and West

“Through this train, the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits offered a unique opportunity to experience Orientalism, a major artistic and cultural movement of the time”, explains Arthur Mettetal.

The train quickly became a bridge between several cultures, attracting a varied clientele: from aristocrats and diplomats to adventure-seeking tourists. Constantinople was more than just a destination: “You have to remember that it's just the gateway to the Orient. Once you're in Constantinople or Istanbul, you're at the beginning of a new journey, even further into the East and Middle East."

In 1930, with the creation of the Taurus Express, it even became possible to link London-Paris-Cairo and Baghdad in 7 to 8 days, a remarkable feat for the time!

From a diplomatic point of view, the introduction of the Orient Express also represented a real feat. Indeed, Nagelmackers' prowess also lay in his ability to federate different players around a common project in a complex European context. “A real entrepreneurial feat for the time!"

“Not only were there empires and states that weren't necessarily on very good terms, notably Prussia and France after the 1870 war, but also, before 1938 and the creation of the SNCF, each territory was divided into several rail networks”, explains the historian. In France, the network was fragmented between the Compagnie du Nord, the Compagnie de l'Est, the Compagnie du Midi, and the Compagnie Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée).

“What's interesting is Georges Nagelmackers' ability to convince highly fragmented European rail networks to work together. In those days, crossing several countries with a single train was a real technical and diplomatic feat.”

The legacy of the Orient Express

The transformation of European rail transport

One of the major innovations of the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits was the introduction of the bogie on the European continent.
This system, consisting of a carriage supporting the car body, enabled greater curves to be taken, while significantly improving passenger comfort thanks to better shock absorption. This technical innovation, quickly adopted by other European railways, is a perfect illustration of the Orient Express's role as a driving force in the spread of technological advances across the continent.

Beyond its technical innovations, the Orient Express played a crucial role in the modernization of European rail transport. The need to run luxury cars on different networks led to unprecedented technical standardization. “It's really an important part of the history of innovation and technology,” explains the historian. “We had to standardize and get the networks to agree to run equipment that was identical over such long routes.”

A major cultural inspiration

If you've come to this article, it's probably because you've heard about the Orient Express in a book, film or Youtube video (as illustrated, for example, by influencer Léna Situations' recent video).

And for good reason: the Orient Express has had a profound impact on popular culture. Agatha Christie's novel The Crime of the Orient Express (1934) was inspired by a real-life incident in which the train became stuck in the snow. The company's archives contain a letter of thanks signed by some twenty passengers, a precious testimony to this event!

Historic Orient Express train station atmosphere, Turkey

The train has also given rise to many urban legends. While certain stories of espionage or attacks are not always verifiable in the archives, they continue to enrich the myth...

Contemporary heirs to the Orient Express

The Orient Express continues to inspire the modern rail industry, with many heirs.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express continues the tradition with its luxurious period experience, while the Accor group, one of the brand's owners, is developing a contemporary vision by reinterpreting art deco codes. Another example is the Dolce Vita Orient Express project (described in detail in this article) which, from 2025, will link Rome, Venice and Palermo, celebrating Italian design, gastronomy and heritage.

Although criticized for being elitist, this renaissance of rail luxury could play a positive role in the ecological transition. Indeed, offering prestigious rail alternatives could encourage wealthy travelers, whose carbon footprint is particularly high, to rethink their travel habits. These trains, which are the stuff of dreams, also make it possible to initiate more accessible projects and democratize rail travel in its entirety.

We're also thinking of Midnight Train, which unfortunately won't see the light of day, but which would have created a new type of hotel on wheels, offering a contemporary and accessible experience of night-time train travel. And, as founder Adrien Aumont puts it, with the aim of “offering travellers a serious option to medium-haul aviation”. Although this initiative did not come to fruition, it illustrates the diversity of projects inspired by the Orient Express heritage, ranging from traditional luxury to more modern, inclusive concepts.

In a more accessible vein, operators such as ÖBB with its Nightjet and SNCF with its night trains are taking inspiration from this heritage to democratize night-time rail travel. While the Orient Express was historically reserved for an elite, its influence has helped to modernize the European rail network and inspire more inclusive services!

“The Orient Express is a major impact - a subject, a name that allows us to approach a total history, we can be interested in technical, social, cultural, economic history... The other thing that is important and rare is that it's a name, a train and a brand. This specificity means that there are many issues and players involved,” concludes the historian.

To find out more, we invite you to discover Arthur Mettetal's book , Orient-Express. Une histoire et un patrimoine d'entreprises (19e-21e siècle).

And to make sure you don't miss a single episode and get all the inspiration you need from our guests, don't hesitate to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening platforms. Thanks to our partner SNCF Connect, the benchmark application for train travel and sustainable mobility, which accompanies over 15 million users on their journeys in France and Europe!