A train which has been described as ‘the poshest in Britain’ is set to return to the Midlands later this year. The Northern Belle will be at Birmingham International Station in March ready to take 200 passengers for a slap-up seven-course lunch trip.
A trip on the train – once described by actor Bill Nighy as “the Grand Dame of luxury travel” – will set you back a minimum of £365. Meanwhile, a TUI holiday to Prague including flights and hotel for seven nights will cost you more than £100 less at £264.
The 1930s Pullman-style train, which once formed part of the iconic Orient Express group, has its own resident band while an on-board. One of the seven individually-decorated carriages used to form part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Train and is said to include what was the Queen Mum’s favourite seat, from where she would wave through the window while sipping gin and tonics.
The train, hauled by a vintage diesel locomotive, will depart at 12.25pm on Wednesday, March 12. Then in April, the Northern Belle will be back in the city when it will be pulled by a steam locomotive over the same spectacular route which crosses the 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct.
Northern Belle destinations from Birmingham during 2025 include Llandudno, Torquay and Sandringham. Hundreds of trainspotters and railway enthusiasts are expected to turn out to photograph the occasion.
A spokesman for Northern Belle said: “We like to think we’ll not only be taking passengers on a trip through some beautiful countryside, but will also be transporting them back to the golden days of rail travel. A time when nothing was too good for the pampered passengers.”