Posh Rail

26 April 2014

A CITY charity is to benefit as the luxuriously famous Orient Express comes to town. The British Pullman luxury heritage train will be in Plymouth next month to support St Luke’s hospice, donating a proportion of ticket sales booked direct with the charity. The British Pullman forms the first part of the journey on the famous Venice Simplon Orient-Express and transfers passengers to the channel. She is a working antique and is made up of a collection of 1920s and 1930s Pullman first class dining carriages. Howard Barclay, director of sales at Venice Simplon Orient Express, said: “We have been working with many hospices in the UK over the last five years and have helped raise over £250,000 for the hospice community.

There are limited spaces to help raise funds for St Luke’s, with a significant proportion of the ticket price being donated by Venice Simplon Orient-Express for every passenger the hospice fundraising team can book on. Tickets for the journey on April 26 are £250 per person and can be booked via St Luke’s hospice direct 01752 246591 or e-mail lorna.damella@stlukes-hospice.org.uk

More Details: Plymouth Herald

[cc]Simon Pielow

Study considers long-term options for Devon - Cornwall rail link: UK: Following the catastrophic destruction of around 100 m of sea wall at Dawlish during an exceptional storm in February, a taskforce has been established to undertake high-level study into ways of protecting the railway between Devon and Cornwall from extreme weather. The High Level Option Study is to be completed by June 30. It will consider alternative scenarios in the event that the coastal route is not available because of severe weather or maintenance. [Railway Gazette]

Network Rail sky view of work in progress at Dawlish.