Editing Orient Express (section)

{{Short description|Luxury passenger train service in Europe}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox rail service
| box_width       = 
| name            = ''The Orient Express''
| image           = Orient Express Spoorwegmuseum.jpg
| image_width     = 261px
| caption         = ''Orient Express'' [[dining car]] from 1911
| type            = [[Luxury trains|Luxury passenger rail]]
| status          = Defunct
| first           = {{Start date|1883|06|4|df=y}}
| last            = {{Start date|2009|12|14|df=y}}
| formeroperator  = ''[[Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits]]''
| journeytime     = 2 days, 20 hours<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://perapalace.com/en/a-journey-to-history-the-orient-express-story/|title=A Journey to History: The Orient Express Story|website=Pera Palace Hotel|date=28 February 2022 |language=en|accessdate=25 April 2024}}</ref><br>(Paris–Istanbul)
}}

The '''''Orient Express''''' was a long-distance passenger [[luxury train]] service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''[[Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits]]'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, with terminal stations in [[Paris]] in the northwest and [[Istanbul]] in the southeast, and branches extending service to [[Athens]], [[Brussels]], and [[London]].

The ''Orient Express'' embarked on its initial journey on June 5, 1883, from Paris to Vienna, eventually extending to Istanbul, thus connecting the western and eastern extremities of Europe. The route saw alterations and expansions, including the introduction of the ''Simplon Orient Express'' following the opening of the [[Simplon Tunnel]] in 1919, enhancing the service's allure and importance. Several routes concurrently used the ''Orient Express'' name, or variations. Although the original ''Orient Express'' was simply a normal international railway service, the name became synonymous with intrigue and [[luxury trains|luxury rail travel]]. The city names most prominently served and associated with the ''Orient Express'' are Paris and Istanbul,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Orient-Express|title=Orient-Express &#124; train &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orient-express.eu/fr/le-mythe/pari-fou/orient-express-attention-au-depart|title=Orient-Express : attention au départ !|language=fr|website=Orient Express|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110141619/http://www.orient-express.eu/fr/le-mythe/pari-fou/orient-express-attention-au-depart }}</ref> the original termini of the timetabled service.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite magazine | last = Zax | first = David |date = 1 March 2007 | title = A Brief History of the Orient Express | url = http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-orient-express-149702768/ | access-date = 13 March 2013 | magazine = [[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] }}</ref> The [[rolling stock]] of the ''Orient Express'' changed many times.

However, post-World War II, the Orient Express struggled to maintain its preeminence amid changing geopolitical landscapes and the rise of air travel. The route stopped serving Istanbul in 1977, cut back to a through overnight service from Paris to [[Bucharest]], which was cut back further in 1991 to [[Budapest]], then in 2001 to Vienna, before departing for the last time from Paris on 8 June 2007.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news | first = Simon | last = Calder | title = Murder of the Orient Express – End of the line for celebrated train service | date = 22 August 2009 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/murder-of-the-orient-express-1775809.html | work = [[The Independent]] |location=London| access-date = 13 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429235102/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/murder-of-the-orient-express-1775809.html |archive-date=29 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Christie">{{cite web | url = http://www.agathachristie.com/insight/christie-papers/2011/05/17/history-orient-express/ | title = A History of the Orient Express | access-date = 13 March 2013 | date = 17 May 2011 | publisher = Agatha Christie Limited | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130424114313/http://agathachristie.com/insight/christie-papers/2011/05/17/history-orient-express/ | archive-date = 24 April 2013 | url-status = dead }}</ref> After this, the route, still called the ''Orient Express'', was shortened to start from [[Strasbourg]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/barticle_info.php?articles_id=366 |title='hidden europe' magazine e-news Issue 2007/15 |date=7 June 2007 |access-date=7 June 2007}}</ref> leaving daily after the arrival of a [[TGV]] from Paris. On 14 December 2009, the ''Orient Express'' ceased to operate entirely and the route disappeared from European railway timetables, a "victim of high-speed trains and cut-rate airlines".<ref name=npr-2009>{{cite web|title=The Orient Express Takes Its Final Trip | date=12 December 2009 | publisher=[[NPR]] | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121365224&live=1 |access-date=26 February 2011}}</ref>{{Opinion|date=May 2025}}

In contemporary times, the legacy of the ''Orient Express'' has been revived through private ventures like the ''[[Venice Simplon-Orient-Express]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 February 2014|title=The Curious Rebranding of Orient-Express Hotels Into the Belmond Brand|url=https://skift.com/2014/02/26/the-curious-rebranding-of-orient-express-hotels-into-the-belmond-brand/|access-date=11 January 2021|website=Skift|language=en-US}}</ref> initiated by James Sherwood in 1982, which offers nostalgic journeys through Europe in restored 1920s and 1930s CIWL carriages, including the original route from Paris to Istanbul.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vsoe.com|title=Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – Luxury Train from London to Venice|website=www.vsoe.com}}</ref> Since December 2021, an [[ÖBB]] [[Nightjet]] runs three times per week on the Paris-Vienna route, although not branded as ''Orient Express.''<ref name="Nightjet">{{cite web|url=https://www.nightjet.com/en/reiseziele/frankreich|title=France|access-date=1 November 2021|website=ÖBB}}</ref> In late 2026, [[Accor]] will launch its own ''[[Orient Express (Accor)|Orient Express]]'' with journeys from Paris to Istanbul.<ref name="lux">{{cite web |url=https://www.luxurytrainclub.com/trains/orient-express-la-dolce-vita/ |title=Orient Express La Dolce Vita |publisher=The Luxury Train Club |accessdate=19 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="myth">{{Cite web |date=3 July 2024 |title=Orient Express brand pitch 2024 |url=https://group.accor.com/-/media/Corporate/our-brands/PDF-for-pages/Orient-Express/ORIENT-EXPRESS-Brand-Pitch-2024.pdf |access-date=28 July 2024 |website=[[Accor]]|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728095615/https://group.accor.com/-/media/Corporate/our-brands/PDF-for-pages/Orient-Express/ORIENT-EXPRESS-Brand-Pitch-2024.pdf}}</ref>