One of world's most famous trains will no longer be departing from London, and the operator of the modern-day Orient Express wants to halt its operation in Britain as a result of Brexit.
The luxury hotel on wheels that inspired crime novelist Agatha Christie's classic "Murder on the Orient Express" has connected Paris with Istanbul since the late 19th century.
Over time, the Orient Express name was used for trains of different operators and routes, and since the 1980s, travellers have been able to start the journey from London to destinations like Venice. With sleeper car suites and upscale dining on board, prices run into thousands of pounds per passenger.
The most recent incarnation, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, now says it is struggling to avoid delays and keep promised train connections amid the post-Brexit situation at British borders.
"We’re adjusting operations in 2024 ahead of enhanced passport and border controls," a spokesman for train operator Belmond, which runs the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, told Sunday's Observer newspaper.
"We want to avoid any risk of travel disruption for our guests – delays and missing train connections – and provide the highest level of service, as seamless and relaxed as possible."
Additional passport controls have been necessary since Brexit, and traffic jams at the ferry port of Dover now frequently last for hours, especially around holidays.
This situation could become even worse because the introduction of the so-called European Travel Information and Authorisation System will make even more checks necessary in the future.
Similar to the US, even visitors who are exempt from visa requirements will then have to submit an application and show biometric data such as fingerprints.
This would also affect guests of the Orient Express who, after a first train section, have so far had to change to a coach for the crossing over the English Channel. Therefore, the operator no longer wants to operate the British section.
