The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will return to railways from July 8

The luxury train will be back up and running this summer with social distancing measures in place
Belmond

Belmond has announced its Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will return to railways from July 8.

The legendary locomotive’s initial journey will be from Venice to London, and more dates and routings will be announced after this.

Samantha Strawford, Belmond’s Global Brand Director, told the Telegraph: “We will have fewer passengers on board and there will be much more space between them in the dining car. There will be more in-cabin dining and not all cabins will be occupied. We are also working through different scenarios for ensuring more distance is kept between passengers on the trains and the introduction of regular deep clean operations.”

Strawford added that the route’s resumption will be dependent on the free flow of travel between the countries it passes through: Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland.

Today it was announced that the UK will impose a £1,000 fine on anyone who breaches the new quarantine regulations that state any incoming passenger to the UK must self-isolate for 14 days. A spokesperson for Belmond says: "We will follow any announcement that may follow next week from the Home Secretary and respond accordingly - for now, our train operations are not currently scheduled to resume until July, and we do heavily caveat that these will only commence once we are given the green light by authorities to do so."

Earlier this week, CEO and President of Belmond, Roeland Vos announced the company’s intention to reopen its global operations, starting with its iconic hotels in Italy.

Belmond Hotel Splendido, Portofino and Belmond Hotel Cipriani are set to reopen from June 19, and those on the July 8 Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journey will be able to stay at the latter.

Vos said in a statement: “The challenge of today’s global pandemic will not stop us from re-imagining the future of luxury travel. If anything, it has encouraged us to go further and evolve faster. Since the outbreak began, our colleagues have shown countless acts of kindness, devotion and selfless care. And there have been many remarkable moments of innovation.

“I want to thank our teams around the world for their tireless dedication and support throughout this time, and as we look ahead now to the first phase of reopenings, I know that our guests will once again experience moments of magic, among those who matter most.”

Belmond has also introduced a ‘Tomorrow Time Travel Pass’ - a travel voucher for future use, with no expiration date and a value that will be topped up 20 per cent by Belmond.

Belmond is also looking to reopen its UK properties this summer, with London’s Belmond Cadogan Hotel scheduled for a July 4 reopening and its Oxfordshire offering, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, scheduled for a July 14 reopening.

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