<P> In 1976 the Swiss travel company "Intraflug AG" has first hired, then also bought several CIWL - carriages, and operated them as Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express from Zürich to Istanbul . In 1983 the 100 . anniversary of the Orient - Express was celebrated by a trip of this train from Paris to Istanbul, and in 1988 it has run to Hong Kong via the Soviet Union and China . From there it was transferred by ferry to Japan, and used there for some excursions after regauging . </P> <P> After the failure of the American European Express (see below) Intraflug has become bankrupt, and the carriages were taken over by the Reisebüro Mittelthurgau . The sleeping cars and some other coaches (Pullmans, dining cars, luggage vans) were transferred to Russia and used between Moscow and the Mongolian - Chinese border . (The adjacent Chinese train was also branded for a while as China Orient Express, nowadays it's known as Shangri - La Express .) The remaining vehicles were used in Germany and Switzerland as diner trains until the company's 2003 bankruptcy . Since then the trains are standing unused in different countries, as the new owners have got problems with operations due to a lawsuit about the usage rights of the name Orient Express . </P> <P> In 1982, the Venice - Simplon Orient Express was established as a private venture, running restored 1920s and 1930s carriages from London to Venice . This service runs between March and November, and is firmly aimed at leisure travellers, with tickets costing over $3,120 per person from London to Venice (via Paris, Zürich, Innsbruck and Verona--also despite its name the train is running via the Brenner Pass instead of the Simplon tunnel) including meals . Two or three times a year Prague or Vienna and Budapest is also accessed, starting from Venice, and returning to Paris and London . Every September the train also goes from London and Paris to Istanbul via Budapest, Sinaia and Bucharest--in the last three cities a sightseeing (and in the two capitals an overnight in hotel) also takes place--the return trip on the same route ends up in Venice . While the above - mentioned routes are available in almost every years, some seasons have also included unique destinations, among them Cologne, Rome, Florence, Lucerne, the High Tatras, Cracow, Dresden, Copenhagen and Stockholm . Such a journey is provided currently to Berlin . </P> <P> The company also offers a similarly themed luxury train in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand called the Eastern and Oriental Express, and operates other luxury overnight trains in Scotland, Ireland and Peru . </P>

Route of the orient express in the movie