Essence of Malaysia: Eastern & Oriental Express

Tracks cut through the planet's densest rainforest for tin; the Eastern & Oriental Express inherited them.

British colonial administrators began constructing railway lines across the Malay Peninsula in 1885, initially to serve the tin mining industry. The Federated Malay States Railways gradually expanded its network, connecting Kuala Lumpur to the coast and, eventually, linking Singapore in the south to the Thai border in the north. These metre-gauge tracks, carved through some of the densest tropical rainforest on the planet, would one day carry the Eastern & Oriental Express.

Singapore to Bangkok by rail, at last; the corridor that the Eastern & Oriental Express would one day make legendary was open for business.

By the early 1920s, the railway networks of British Malaya and Siam were finally connected, making it possible to travel by train from Singapore all the way to Bangkok. The journey took several days and required changes, but the continuous rail corridor through the Malay Peninsula, across the Causeway, and up through Thailand established the route that the Eastern & Oriental Express would later make famous.

Japanese carriages built in 1972, dressed in Thai silk and Malaysian embroidery, departed Singapore for Bangkok on 19 September 1993.

On 19 September 1993, the Eastern & Oriental Express departed on its inaugural journey from Singapore to Bangkok. The brainchild of James B. Sherwood, the American entrepreneur who had already revived the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Europe, the train brought the same philosophy of golden-age rail travel to Southeast Asia. The carriages were originally built in Japan in 1972 and extensively refurbished with cherry and elm panelling, Thai silk upholstery, and Malaysian embroidery.

Three days, two nights, 1,262 miles; the jungle unspooling from the observation car with a gin and tonic firmly in hand.

Through the 1990s, the Eastern & Oriental Express built its reputation as the definitive luxury rail experience in Asia. The classic route between Singapore and Bangkok, covering 1,262 miles over three days and two nights, became a bucket-list journey. Passengers dined on dishes that shifted from Malay to Thai as the train crossed borders, and the open-air observation car at the rear became the train's signature space: a place to watch the jungle slip past with a gin and tonic in hand.

At $3.2 billion, LVMH didn't buy a train; it bought a travelling destination.

Orient-Express Hotels rebranded as Belmond in 2014, bringing the Eastern & Oriental Express under a new identity while preserving its character. The rebrand signalled a broader ambition: Belmond positioned the train not just as transport between two cities, but as a destination experience in its own right. In 2019, LVMH completed its acquisition of Belmond for $3.2 billion, placing the E&O Express within the world's largest luxury group alongside Louis Vuitton and Dior.

For the first time in its history, the train simply stopped; and that stillness changed everything.

COVID-19 brought the Eastern & Oriental Express to a standstill. Cross-border travel between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand became impossible, and the train sat idle for the first time in its history. But the enforced pause gave Belmond the opportunity to rethink the offering entirely. Rather than simply resume the classic Singapore-Bangkok route, the team began developing shorter, more focused itineraries that explored single countries in greater depth.

Singapore at the centre, with routes fanning out across the peninsula; Essence of Malaysia among them.

The Eastern & Oriental Express came back after a four-year pause with a fresh slate of Malaysia-focused journeys. The Essence of Malaysia run heads up the west coast from Singapore, built around the islands of Langkawi and the streets of Penang rather than the inland jungle.

Some corners of Malaysia's rainforest are reachable only by sleeper car.

The Eastern & Oriental Express now operates multiple itineraries across Peninsular Malaysia, including the Essence of Malaysia and Wild Malaysia routes. Under Belmond's stewardship, the train has been positioned as a gateway to experiences that would be difficult or impossible to access independently: private wildlife encounters, exclusive cultural performances, and meals prepared by guest chefs using ingredients sourced from the regions the train passes through. The Wild Malaysia journey, in particular, has drawn attention for its focus on conservation and responsible tourism in one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots.