This $350 Million Train Is A Palace On Wheels

Isaac Taylor

Imagine getting to ride on Snowpiercer without the fear of a peasant uprising forcing you to come face-to-face with the sharp end of an axe-shaped class struggle. Well now you can on the simply named G Train.

With an estimated cost of $350 million and two and a half years of build time, there’s never been a train like this ever conceived. It has an estimated top speed of 160km/h and will be compliant with railways across America and Europe.

Stretching 1,300 feet with 14 cars, it has space for 18 overnight passengers and has a central welcome hall that guests board from. It contains residential and entertainment spaces, as well as a Grand Salon built for receptions.

The really incredible part though is the access to its “secret” garden and the wings of the train that can be folded down to create alfresco terraces. Just don’t go through any tunnels unless you want to wipe out half the guests in one go.

So what does the G stand for? Presumably the last name of its eccentric creator, French designer, Thierry Gaugain, who’s spent his career designing superyachts for the world’s richest people.

The project hasn’t been funded yet and is currently waiting for “someone as crazy” as Gaugain to make it a reality.

Trains have been making a resurgence recently as an option for long travel, as people reconsider their carbon footprint.

“The train isn’t an object from the past,” Gaugain says. “Trains are meeting the present right now. Sustainability is one major reason.

“There is nothing more sustainable than trains when it comes to travelling objects. The plane is way behind, and other means are very energy consuming.

“It [trains] will become more and more a vehicle for the future. And what we have in mind with this train is to make a vehicle for the future. A marriage of extreme luxury and the best technology.”

Hopefully this dream becomes a reality soon.