British royal family to abandon train as part of cost cutting
Kyiv • UNN
Buckingham Palace plans to decommission the royal train by 2027 due to high maintenance costs. King Charles III and other members of the family will travel by regular trains and helicopters.
As part of cost-cutting measures, Buckingham Palace has announced plans to decommission the iconic royal train by 2027. The transport, which has served the monarchy for decades, has proven too expensive to maintain. King Charles III and other members of the family will continue to travel by regular trains and helicopters. The nine-carriage train may be put on public display as part of the historical heritage.
BBC reports this, as conveyed by UNN.
Buckingham Palace announced that the royal train used by members of the British royal family will be decommissioned by 2027 as part of cost-cutting measures.
According to the BBC correspondent, this announcement was made concurrently with the publication of the annual report on court finances. Judging by it, a two-day trip in February on the royal train from Gloucestershire to Staffordshire, and then to London, cost the royal treasury too much.
It is reported that British King Charles III and other members of the royal family "will continue to use regular passenger trains, as well as two helicopters for travel around the country."
The royal train, consisting of nine carriages, may be put on public display after decommissioning. James Chalmers, who manages the royal household's finances, said the train had been part of national life for many decades, but "it's time for a warm farewell."
Addition
The history of the royal train began in 1869, when special carriages were created for Queen Victoria to allow comfortable travel around Britain.
Since then, the train has become an integral part of royal transport, and Queen Elizabeth II used it particularly actively - especially during celebrations marking her Golden and Diamond Jubilees of reign.
The royal carriages were last updated in the mid-1980s. In the last year, as reported by Buckingham Palace, the train made only two trips.