King Charles III has announced plans to decommission The Royal Train as part of a broader effort to modernize the royal family’s transportation methods. That decision came after an extensive analysis of the train’s maintenance expenses versus its rarely-used schedule. The royal family will continue to use the train until the contract on its maintenance expires in early 2027. They still won’t truly begin to phase it out until next year.
The Royal Train has historically been a focal point of British life. It serves as a safe sleeping environment for members of the royal family while traveling to various official engagements. The opulent train features nine grand carriages. One palace carriage even boasts a tub, another has an office with the late Queen Elizabeth II photographed working there and combining luxury with work was key to design for VIP riders.
The now King Charles has confessed to his childhood nostalgia for riding on The Royal Train. Other royals have taken the adored means of transportation. File photo of Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, riding a rail carriage in 2018. They enjoyed their first evening on board before dashing off to join their engagements. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took the same train to highlight the contributions of frontline workers during the pandemic. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, they journeyed from England to Scotland and Wales to show their appreciation.
In the last few years though, the train’s operation has been very reduced. In the last financial year up to April, King Charles only used The Royal Train on two occasions. So the single journey from Windsor to Crewe and Kemble is £33,147. On the other hand, it costs £44,822 to travel from Kemble down to Euston via Burton on Trent. That reduction in ridership usage led to a serious reevaluation of the negative costs associated with the train’s storage, upkeep, and ongoing requirement to rebuild the train.
“The Royal Train has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. Keeper of the Privy Purse James Chalmers underscored the need for modernization in the core royal family’s operations. As he said, ‘We cannot let the ghosts of yesterday hold us captive as we try to look to tomorrow’s opportunities.’
The move to decommission The Royal Train fits in well with King Charles’s desire to demonstrate fiscal prudence and modernization. The royal family is now leaving the train. They’ll transition to two new helicopters, but continue using fixed-wing aircraft when it’s more economical, cost-effective, or practical. This announcement is viewed as fresh and serious adaptation of royal traditions to present day practices.
King Charles’s personal carriage on The Royal Train, built in the 1980s, includes a desk, sofa, armchairs, a bedroom, and a bathroom. These very features of the palace have made it a comfortable, agreeable setting for the king himself during these travels. Climate Safe Streets Modern, safe, multimodal transportation options are now more available and affordable than ever. This begs the question of why we would want to continue supporting such costly complexity.
