Buckingham Palace has announced the definitive retirement of the historic British Royal Train. The end of its service will take place before the end of its maintenance contract in March 2027.
The decision was made after a thorough review of the service’s value and cost, and is a response to the low utilisation of the convoy (only two journeys in the last year) and the high maintenance expenses of over half a million pounds per year.
The move is part of a broader strategy of “fiscal discipline” and modernisation of the Royal Household, aimed at ensuring efficient use of public funds. The Keeper of the Privy Purse, James Chalmers, stressed that “we should not be tied to the past” and that, although the train has been part of national life for decades, the time has come to “bid a fond farewell”.
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As an alternative, the royal family will have two new helicopters for official travel.
The future of the carriages, which were incorporated into this service between 1977 and 1987, is now being studied, with the possibility of them being put on public display, following the example of the Royal Yacht Britannia. The royal train, a symbol of the monarchy since the time of Queen Victoria, thus ceases to run after more than a century and a half of history.