Engineering work forces luxury train delay

Northern Belle’s trip to the seaside rescheduled.

Network Rail regret to announce that… the Northern Belle, one of the world’s most luxurious trains, has been delayed.

Emergency engineering work on the tracks means that a trip from Birmingham next month has had to be postponed by six days.

But that could be good news for passengers booked to travel on the train to the Devon seaside resort of Torquay. For the long-range weather forecast is predicting more sun on the rearranged date!

The train, once part of the iconic Orient Express group, should have run on Sunday 6th September but the trip will now take place the following Saturday the 12th.

A spokesman for the Northern Belle said: “We very much regret the disappointment and inconvenience this has caused but sadly the situation was out of our hands. Schedules have had to be rearranged because engineering meant that it was impossible to get the train to Birmingham on 6th September. Still, every cloud has a silver lining. Looking on the bright side, the long-range weather forecast is predicting a sunnier day the following Saturday!

“Sadly, of course, we realise that some people will not be able to travel then. So we are offering them the option of a full refund or a VIP credit voucher for a future trip with a £50 bonus to spend on board to make up for their disappointment.”

The train will leave Birmingham at 8am on 12th September and will pick up more passengers at Gloucester and Cheltenham. It is scheduled to arrive back in Birmingham at 10pm. For more details see www.northernbelle.co.uk or phone 01270 899681.