New leisure train: Belmond Grand Hibernian (Ireland)

[dowlingm]

I'm amazed that there's actually a market for a luxury train in Ireland given just how relatively small the island is as a whole -let alone the Republic itself- and the relatively sparse rail network that sees regular commuter/regional/intercity traffic at least several times a day on each line on a daily basis. It's definitely not the Rocky Mountains, mainland Europe, or even New England/Eastern Canada (and that was a stretch with the Acadian train) where there's more territory to cover and doesn't see anything more than daily sleeper trains at best.

Looking at the tours offered, the train seems more like a moving hotel from which passengers are coached to various tours. Even where rail does exist to near to certain attractions they are opting to bus for now - such as the "Grand Tour" which brings passengers to the Giant's Causeway from Belfast (60 miles) rather than have to qualify the 201+Mark III stock as far as Portrush (8 miles) or even Coleraine (12 miles).

[george matthews]

There are no sleeper trains in Ireland now (there seem to have been some in the slower past). Sleeper travel is mentioned in the famous book "Adventures of an Irish RM".