The Orient Express, the world's most luxurious train, left Paris for Istanbul in October of 1884. Just in time for the Olympic Games in the French capital, the train will leave from Paris again in 2024.

Although Orient Express has not yet confirmed any routes, it is thought that the new service will follow the same route as its predecessor. The return of the legendary train has a lot of information.

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The origins of an icon

The first Orient Express was created by a Belgian engineer who wanted to create a network of luxury trains after traveling across America by rail. The experience on the country's earliest sleeper cars was not good. He was formulating plans for a new service with comfort and glamour in mind.

The Orient Express, which carried 40 passengers from Paris to Constantineple on its first trip, was designed by him. The demand for grand rail journeys was eliminated due to the boom in air travel.

The Orient Express was revived in the 1980's by a pair of entrepreneurs after it was dismantled. The American owner of the Cipriani Hotel ran routes between London and Venice, while the Swiss launched the Nostalgie-Istanbul- Orient-Express. The train stopped operating again in 2009.

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The train carriages have been preserved like museum pieces © Xavier Antoinet

The mystery of the missing trains

The original Orient Express carriages were rediscovered in 2015 after a researcher noticed a parked train in the corner of a video.

He noticed the distinctive midnight blue shade of the Orient Express and made out the name of a Polish rail station in the background and used a 3D map to find the exact location. The vehicles that Mettetal and his team found were in good shape.

The owner of the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient Express sold the 13-carriage train along with four additional carriages from the service recovered from Germany and Switzerland to Accor.

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Traveling in style

The museum-piece carriages are being renovated by a team of French artisans. Before founding his own agency, D'Angeac created theatrical scenery for several companies.

Over the past 20 years, he has worked on castles, apartments, private villas and the restoration of Maison Guerlain, the flagship boutique on the Champs-lysées. Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express in 1934 and D'Angeac has a collection of her books.

The 1920s and 30s design of Orient Express is being reinvented by D'Angeac. The 17 historic carriages date back to the Art Deco era and have beautiful Lalique glass panels engraved with blackbirds and grapes. The appearance will be faithful to the memory of the Orient Express while also being modern.

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The new Orient Express will have 14 sleeping carriages © Xavier Antoinet

What to expect on board

The new Orient Express will have 14 sleeping carriages, a restaurant, a bar and an Experiential Salon. The décor of the salon is inspired by winter gardens and is expected to host a variety of performances and events.

The presidential suite will take up an entire carriage. There will be a bathroom in each suite.

The team is looking for ideas for the restaurant from the Orient Express menu.

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How to book

The first of the refurbished carriages is due to be unveiled in October and Orient Express will release pricing and booking information at a later time.

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The 17 historic carriages date back to the 1920s and 30s © Xavier Antoinet

A glamorous Italian sister

A luxury rail service from the same company will debut in Italy in 2023, as well as three international routes from Rome to Paris, Istanbul, and Split.

The interiors of the trains and carriages will be reminiscent of the golden age of Italian design. Trips will cost an average of 2000 dollars per person.

The Orient Express is a separate venture from the Venice Simplon- Orient-Express, which runs between London and Venice, as well as other destinations.

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The next chapter

Accor plans to take the Orient Express brand off the tracks and open its own hotels in Rome and Venice, with plans to open a hotel in Riyadh as well.