Welcome to the new age of the train

From bunk-bed class on slow trains in China to art deco splendour on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Adrian Bridge introduces our special celebration of rail adventures past, present and future

Now where were we before life took such an unexpected turn? Ah yes, trains. In those innocent pre-Covid days, trains were all the rage. Greta Thunberg had made us all more aware of our carbon footprint, and increasingly it was being said that travel was about more than simply getting from A to B as quickly as possible: that there was a lot to be said for enjoying the journey itself.

Trains were clearly moving into a new age prior to the pandemic, but the events of the past 12 months and more have accelerated that process. A new age for rail travel indeed dawns, and in this eight-page special, we celebrate it. From jaunts across America to steam specials through Staffordshire, we offer our pick of great rail trips for 2021 (pages 12-13).

Further inspiration comes from Gemma Knight, reflecting fondly on journeys in bunk-bed class across China made in her early twenties (p11). Saluting the comeback of the sleeper train, Petroc Trelawny describes adventures past – and those yet to come (p15). And Griff Rhys Jones pens a passionate love letter to the form of transport he adores above all others and the thrill of what he terms the “charged expectation” of boarding a train

Train operators such as Planet Rail and Great Rail Journeys report huge pent-up demand for exotic trips such as the Trans-Siberian and the Venice Simplon-Orient Express, reviving this year the notion of a Grand Tour of Europe taking in cities such as Florence and Rome and travelling between the two in exquisite art deco luxury.

And with continuing uncertainty about exactly when, where and how we will be able to travel this year, bookings for rail trips in 2022 are surging.

“Many of our regular passengers are desperate to travel again,” said Tim Littler, the founder of the splendid Golden

Eagle train. “One called and said: ‘I don’t care where or when your first train is going, just book it!’”

On the home front, too, from the Staycation Express on the spectacular SettleCarlisle line to day-trips to the seaside in British Pullman splendour, there will be lots of options for those wanting once again to jump on a train and take a transport of delight (p10).

We all want to get back on track, with our lives and the way we see and connect with the wider world. The train now departing is to a better place.

j Make mine a Martini: cocktail hour in the Piano Bar on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express