Orient Express Timeline

That border re-opened in 1951, but the closure of the Bulgarian–Turkish border from 1951 to 1952 prevented services running to Istanbul during that time.

By 1962, the original Orient Express and Arlberg Orient Express had stopped running, leaving only the Simplon Orient Express.

This was replaced in 1962 by a slower service called the Direct Orient Express, which ran daily cars from Paris to Belgrade, and twice-weekly services from Paris to Istanbul and Athens.

In 1971, the Wagon-Lits company stopped running carriages itself and making revenues from a ticket supplement instead.

1976 saw the withdrawal of the Paris–Athens direct service as demand for long-distance luxury rail travel continued to decline.

After the Istanbul route ended in 1977, the service was cut back to a through overnight service from Paris to Bucharest. However, a through sleeping car from Paris to Bucharest was only operated until 1982, and only seasonally.

In 1977, the Direct Orient Express was withdrawn completely, with the last Paris–Istanbul service running on 19 May of that year. Istanbul remained the easternmost stop until that date.

In 1991 the Budapest-Bucharest leg of the train was discontinued, the new final station now becoming Budapest.

In the summer seasons of 1999 and 2000 a sleeping car from Bucharest to Paris reappeared running twice a week, now operated by CFR.

This continued until 2001, when the service was cut back to just Paris–Vienna, as a EuroNight train, though the coaches were actually attached to a regular Paris–Strasbourg express for that leg of the journey.

This daily service, listed in the timetables under the name Orient Express, departed for the last time from Paris on 8 June 2007, marking the end of the historic through service from the French capital.

With the opening of the LGV Est Paris–Strasbourg high speed rail line on 10 June 2007, the Orient Express service was further cut back to Strasbourg–Vienna, departing nightly at 22:20 from Strasbourg, still bearing the name but losing the train numbers 262/263 which it had borne for decades.

The last train with the name Orient-Express (now with a hyphen) departed from Vienna on 10 December 2009, and one day later from Strasbourg, ending over 125 years of continuous service history.

In 1976, the Swiss travel company Intraflug AG first rented, then later bought several CIWL-carriages, preserving vintage rolling stock for later revival ventures.

In 1982, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express was established by businessman James Sherwood as a private venture, offering nostalgic journeys through Europe in restored 1920s and 1930s CIWL carriages, including the original route from Paris to Istanbul. It is currently owned and operated by Belmond.

In 1983, the 100th anniversary of the Orient Express was celebrated by extending the route to run from Paris to Istanbul once more.

The chain was renamed Belmond in 2014 when the branding license ended, and Belmond continues to operate the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express today.

In 2017, Accor purchased a 50% stake in the Orient Express brand from SNCF for the right to use the name, laying groundwork for future ventures under the famous marque.

In 2018, Accor began renovation work on 17 CIWL carriages from the defunct Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express, which date back to the 1920s and 1930s.

Between December 2021 and December 2025 an ÖBB Nightjet train ran three times per week on the Paris-Vienna route, although it was not branded as Orient Express, and it was cancelled again in December 2025 when the French Government withdrew financial support.

In late 2022, Accor announced plans to launch its own Orient Express in late 2026 with journeys from Paris to Istanbul, reviving the legendary route under the historic brand name.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express offered a connecting service from London to Folkestone on the British Pullman, but it was announced in April 2023 that due to complications ensuing from Brexit this would cease, and travelers from London would have to take Eurostar to Paris to join the train.

It will carry passengers between Paris and Istanbul beginning in late 2026, restoring the full original journey between the western and eastern extremities of Europe.