Discover The Abandoned Orient Express Train In Belgium

Image courtesy of Brian / PreciousDecay.com

In the world of luxury travel, great railway journeys are increasingly seen as relics of a distant and elegant past. In our fast-paced modern world, the mere thought of such an adventure fills us with intrigue and captures our collective imagination – and few trains are as iconic as the Orient Express. Launched in 1883 by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL), the long-distance passenger service ceased operating in December 2009 amid growing competition from high-speed trains and budget airlines.

h/t: urbanghostsmedia

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Thankfully the grand train lives on as the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, a private venture by leisure company Belmond, which owns a portfolio of luxury hotels, train journeys and river cruises globally. Some of the original 1920s and ’30s rollingstock has also been retained. But as these photographs reveal, a handful of distinctive locomotives and carriages stand on rusted sidings, their beautiful forms eerily abandoned.

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Urbex.nl

Image courtesy of Brian / PreciousDecay.com

Image courtesy of FFUrbex Fotografie