Kyushu Railway unveils super-luxury train

The most hideous-looking train I've ever seen. Seriously - who designed such a monstrosity?

Really? I thought the train looks amazing! This is a terrible picture of it though.

I love travelling by train. Some rail journeys are world famous and attract tourists and enthusiasts. At the other end of the scale, there are probably routes in your local area that have their own charms. I think it is a shame that this new train has gone for the "astronomically expensive, yet breathtakingly ugly" (as commented above) approach. Judging by the wording of the snippet, the suite rooms are aimed at couples, possibly newlyweds? Whatever, if you have a spare 1.13 million to throw around why not take a trip on the Orient Express, or similar?

Very nice! And it retains a kind of retro design that just suits the idea of luxury travel for the discerning taste.

I wish we could see some photos of what's inside.

It was just on the TV! Retro-plush and carved wooden furnishings.

Agreed for over 11,000$ for just 4 day train ride around....... Kyushu. There are way better: trains transiberan, both orient express (Asia and Europe), the one the goes from Cape Town all the way to Cairo. That would way way way better money spent. There is one that nearly does the length of Canada.

They probably just say 1.13M for marketing purposes, to create a sheen of exclusivity.

Once it goes live it might have just a bit of premium over a 4 days hotel resort stay.

I hope you are right, Alejandro,

I'd be interested for 1/4 or less the price.

Does the Capetown-Cairo one have luxury or nice accommodations? Or is it just a train with some padded planks for sleeping? I suppose I could google...

@inakaRob @Lowly

Unfortunately there is no Cape to Cairo train. The very luxurious Rovos Rail starts from Cape Town and ends at Victoria Falls. They do offer a Cape to Cairo travel package but part of the journey is by air.

I wonder how much of the public's tax dollars went into creating a train for only the elite class that can afford it?

Why did they name it after a cigarette?

The manufaturer spent some time and money at Autobacs with all those stick on bits and pieces. Hopefully the interior is slightly more tasteful?

This new super luxury cruise train is absolutely beautiful inside. It travels through the seven prefectures of Kyushu and is guaranteed to make your vacation and trip more enjoyable. It has a lounge car which is really nice and plush. There is a piano, bar counter, a top end dinning room and private suites. The wood-paneled bedroom with lavish beds even has a en-suite shower and separate toilet which is quite luxurious. All I can say is check it out if your looking for an extravangant ride but the package deal might be a bit pricey fore some however I think it's reasonable.

Ok... so the actual trains looks like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgbRPf-ohgs

It looks nothing like the one in the picture.

The train in the video link above is on its way to Autobacs or Yellow Hat to get those gold plated tacky as hell stick on nightmares.

That sort of bling works well in the Philippines and Pakistan but for the love of all that is Japan, please don't bling-whore the train out.

a four-day, three-night package costing up to 1.13 million yen per couple.

What's the minmum? Don't really know why I'm asking, I know it's going to be way out of my league, lol

Scroll to bottom of the page for fares. http://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/en/tourdesk.html

If it toured the whole country over a week it might justify the price, but dropping that amount of dough on just Kyushu? No thanks. I'd do the Trans-Siberian instead.

Why did they name it after a cigarette?

Because Japanese people love to smoke? Especially in crowded places where food is being served.

Wow, the price of riding this train for a four-day/three night package is around US$11,382 per couple. That's pretty expensive, and it's probably cheaper to take a cruise ship on a seven-day cruise around the Japanese islands in a higher-end room on the ship!

I really hope the food and service on this train is absolutely top-notch given this very high cost.

The train is absolutely beautiful inside...the back of the rear car is all glass, which makes for some stunning views. And the 1.13 million yen that everyone is jumping on is the highest price for a full trip, most likely in the train's most super luxurious suite. Other rooms will obviously be cheaper. I think it's great that JR Kyushu decided to go all out and build this train...it's not for everybody, but for people who love trains and know how amazing Kyushu can be, it looks like an incredible experience.

It sounds lovely but I unfortunately don't have that kind of money

nice train and purpose but bad angle of the picture. and 1.13 million yen is a bit too much for a 4 day, 3 night package. well if there would an Onsen onboard that would good :-)

A real Orient Express..

Luxury train travel is great, but they seem to aim at the extreme high end of the market here, which is a shame. If they toned done the luxury a bit and made the price more reasonable, I´d definitely be interested.

Finding oneself inside the luxurious compartments of this train one need not think about the somewhat unusual contours of the exterior which is quite unlike the sleek appearance of the latest shinkansen trains. The accommodation is, I don't doubt, very comfortable, but for that money . . . yes, of course. Well, think of this experience as a stay at a prestigious hotel suite on wheels. Costly and/but comfortable?

You can have as much fun in a Business Hotel.