Luxury train Northern Belle set to visit Hebden Bridge and Brighouse next year
Railway enthusiasts are in for a treat when one of the world’s most luxurious trains makes a rare red carpet visit to Hebden Bridge and then Brighouse next year.
Passengers will pay between £295 and £570 for a slap-up champagne meal as they travel aboard the 1930s Pullman-style Northern Belle.
But despite the high price tag, the journey aboard the train – once part of the iconic Orient Express – is expected to be a sell-out.
“It’s the epitome of luxury,” said a spokesman for the Northern Belle. “Nothing is too good for our pampered passengers.
“We transport them back to the golden days of rail travel.”
The Northern Belle was recently voted Britain’s most luxurious train by readers of the Condé Nast magazine.
And it was placed ninth in the world, beating other famous trains like Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer and India’s Maharajah’s Express.
It even has its own resident musicians to serenade passengers while an on-board conjuror adds a touch of magic.
Last year a trip over the Settle-Carlisle line featured on Channel 5’s “The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys” programme when actor Bill Nighy described the train as “the Grand Dame of luxury travel”.
A red carpet will be laid over the platform at Hebden Bridge station before the Northern Belle pulls in at 12.10pm on Friday April 21.
Passengers will be welcomed with champagne before a further stop at Brighouse at 1.05.
Then the Northern Belle will meander through the Yorkshire countryside for five hours while they tuck into a choice of either Champagne Afternoon Tea or a seven-course Spirit of Travel Lunch.
It is scheduled to arrive back in Hebden Bridge at 5.30pm and Brighouse at 6.50pm.
Fares start at £295 for passengers booking the Champagne Afternoon Tea or £375 for lunch with fine wines.
For an extra £195 passengers can upgrade to Krug Champagne Class in the special Duart carriage, which was once part of the Royal Train, or Glamis, named after the former Queen Mother’s childhood home.
Rumour has it that Duart contains what was once the Queen Mum’s favourite seat, where she liked to relax with a gin and tonic while waving regally out of the window.