Group Travel in private carriages
and rail cars

Train Chartering supplies private train carriages on many rail networks throughout the world but particularly in the UK, USA, Canada and much of Europe, such as France, Germany and Switzerland.

Train Chartering offers free consultancy to group organisers for travel in private carriages, covering all aspects of the proposed journey; from advice about the best rail route to the chosen venue or event location to the best way to manage the group on arrival at stations.

Typically, our clients are the group organisers for corporate travel or individuals planning special events, but we have worked with a wider range of group planners such as wedding planners, group leaders of association travel and other organisations and travel agents.

Group travel in private carriages is a cost-effective way to travel in a controlled environment for groups of between 10 and 160.

Many European rail routes cross national borders, which makes group travel in private carriages a convenient way to tour Europe. Train Chartering suggests hotels convenient for railway stations and provides baggage porters if required, as well as road transfers.

Private carriage or rail car travel has involved:

• a private rail car across much of the USA to Seattle for an individual traveller who could not use aircraft, to connect with a sea cruise;
• 156 passengers from Deloitte in 2 carriages between London and Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands, delegates to a training conference in the Aviemore Highland Resort;
• private carriages for 60 corporate passengers between Geneva Airport and Gstaad, going by rail, blue sky meetings being the aim.

Private carriages differ from country to country. Here are some generalised categories:

• 1st or 2nd (or standard / coach) class open carriages for regular seating, generally on scheduled trains;
• 1st or 2nd (or standard / coach) class compartment carriages, mostly in Europe;
• 1st or 2nd class sleeper, with private or public bathrooms, normally on luxury or tourist trains;
• Dining or restaurant car, with or without a kitchen, normally on luxury or tourist trains;
• Exhibition car, open plan, also for 'disco', presentations and meetings, in the USA or Europe;
• Sleeper / lounge car, with sleeping compartments or bedrooms and a lounge, sometimes in a dome, in the USA and Canada, and Australia;
• Business car, comprising up to 5 bedrooms, kitchen, dining area, lounge and often a dome observation lounge or a rear viewing platform, in the USA and Canada, and Russia;
• Club / lounge car, with bar and some catering facilities, in the USA and Canada, and certain other countries.

Train Chartering arranges quality catering served by uniformed stewards as required. The type of menu provided depends on the route, the type of carriages and the available budget; bagged sandwich lunches and 4-course dinners illustrate the extent of choice.

Many carriages can be branded or themed to suit the event and client; imaginative personalisation can extend to the platform or beyond.

Contact us to discuss your group travel requirements.