Back on track: royal train saved from scrapheap
Queen’s intervention ensures favourite mode of transport will be spared the fate of Britannia
SINCE the reign of Queen Victoria, its well upholstered carriages have ferried members of the Royal family the length and breadth of Britain.
However, the expense of running the royal train led to questions from MPs over its continuing use, and it was announced in 2013 that it would soon have to be scrapped.
But The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that the royal train is to roll on into the foreseeable future.
The Queen is understood to have made known that the train is her preferred mode of transport and that she believes it to be cost-effective.
Now tests have been carried out on the carriages, which revealed the train’s demise had been greatly exaggerated.
Palace sources said that rather than being ready for the scrapyard, the train was in far better condition than previously thought.
The source added there was now “no end in sight” to its use. The doubts over its future had arisen four years ago when Sir Alan Reid, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, told MPs that the rolling stock, mostly dating from the Seventies, had only five to 10 years’ life left.
After that, he said, the question of replacing it would be a “major decision”, adding: “The figures are quite staggering.”
But with memories still fresh of the fate of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was retired in 1997 to the Queen’s tearful distress, further tests were carried out on the train’s rolling stock.
As a result, it was decided that its life could be extended by many years and that running costs could be reduced.
The Palace source said: “Sir Alan Reid reported to Parliament a few years ago that the train may have to be decommissioned shortly. But since then tests have revealed it has more life in it than previously thought.
“There’s no end in sight to its use, and no fixed, agreed horizon in terms of when it will become inoperable or be decommissioned.
“For the Queen and members of the Royal family, it is a sensible and costeffective way of travelling, enabling them to stay the night close to the location of an engagement the following The Queen with Prince Andrew, right, and Prince Edward, centre, in 1965; top, the Queen and Prince Philip travelled to Bristol on board day, but without causing the disruption or security costs that, say, a hotel in a city centre would entail.”
Commentators believe it will have been made clear to government ministers that the Royal family did not want to see the train go the same way as the royal yacht. Penny Junor, biographer of the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, said: “The train is very dear to them. It’s fine for them to travel on public transport, but on the royal train they can sleep and, as the royal yacht was, it’s somewhere completely private, with everything they need on board.
“Everybody knows what it means to them. Yes, there’s a cost attached to it, but there’s a cost attached to having a monarchy, and it is what we want as a country.”
Although the future of the train seems to be guaranteed, there are now doubts over its future home.
When not in service, the train’s nine British Rail “Mark 3” carriages, couchette and dining car – with royal claret livery – are currently stored at a Victorian rail depot in Buckinghamshire.
However, there are plans for an extensive redevelopment of the site into shops and apartments. It is understood the Palace is insisting the train must be kept at a safe and secure site.
Discussions are under way between Buckingham Palace, Network Rail – which is responsible for the train – and St Modwen, the site developer.
There is speculation the train may be moved to a railway works in Derby run by engineering firm Bombardier.
There was criticism after it was revealed a one-way trip between Windsor and York in 2012 by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh cost £20,221. As a result, the Queen has increasingly travelled on public trains in recent years to save money.
In Buckinghamshire, the train is stored at Wolverton Works, run by the German engineering firm Knorr Bremse, and is kept in working order by another German firm, DB Schenker.
None of the parties involved in the discussions was able to confirm last night what will happen to the train once work begins on transforming the Wolverton Works site.
A spokesman for St Modwen said: “We are fully aware of the current commitments in place concerning the royal train, and all associated parties are in discussions on the subject.”