Key points
- Train was first used during reign of Queen Victoria in mid-19th century
- The train had been used extensively for events during late Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee
- Royal train will be taken around UK before it is removed from service
ISLAMABAD: Britain’s royal train is going to be taken out of service by 2027, in a cost-saving measure announced by Buckingham Palace.
According to BBC, there have been dedicated trains for the family since Queen Victoria’s rule, but as part of a “drive to ensure we deliver value for money” it’s been decided to decommission the historic rolling stock.
Britain’s King Charles III (C) disembarks from the Royal Train at Manchester Victoria Station in Manchester, north west England on January 20, 2023. (Photo by Owen Humphreys / POOL / AFP)
The announcement came alongside the annual publication of UK royal finances, which showed that a journey on the royal train, from Gloucestershire to Staffordshire and then London, over two days in February, had cost more than £44,000.
The Royal Family will still travel on regular train services – and the annual report showed 141 helicopter trips were taken last year, costing £475,000.
“A storied history”
AFP reported that the royal train has a storied history, with coaches first being used during the reign of Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century.
In 2020, William and Kate undertook a 1,250-mile (2,000-kilometre) rail tour of Britain on the royal train to thank essential workers for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The royal train will be taken around the UK before it is removed from service, after which it could be put on public display. The royal train consists of nine carriages, with different locomotives hired to pull them, BBC reported.
Victorian era
The idea of a royal train goes back to Queen Victoria commissioning special coaches in 1869, with the service being used to take the Royal Family around the country.
The train had been used extensively for events during the late Queen Elizabeth’s golden and diamond jubilees – with the most recent update to the carriages taking place in the mid-1980s.
But the latest accounts, for 2024-25, show the train only being used on two occasions, raising questions about maintenance and storage costs.
