Buckingham Palace to retire British Royal Train by 2027 in cost-saving move Photo

Buckingham Palace has announced plans to retire the royal train by 2027 as part of efforts to reduce expenses, the palace said on July 1.

The train, which has been in service since Queen Victoria’s time, will be decommissioned as part of a “drive to ensure we deliver value for money,” Caliber.Az reports, citing British media. 

The announcement accompanied the release of the royal finances for 2024-25, revealing that a two-day trip on the royal train in February — covering Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, and London — cost more than £44,000 (approximately $60,700).

The Royal Family will continue to use regular train services. The report also showed 141 helicopter trips last year, costing £475,000 ($655,500). James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse and responsible for royal finances, said the decision to retire the royal train would mean “the fondest of farewells,” but added: “in moving forwards, we must not be bound by the past.”

Before retirement, the royal train will tour the UK and may be put on public display. It currently comprises nine carriages, pulled by various hired locomotives.

The concept of a royal train dates back to Queen Victoria’s commissioning of special coaches in 1869, used extensively for royal travel. The train was notably employed during the late Queen Elizabeth’s golden and diamond jubilees, with the last carriage refurbishment occurring in the mid-1980s.

The latest accounts show the train was used only twice in 2024-25, raising concerns about maintenance and storage costs.

Other travel expenses reported included 55 private charter flights costing nearly £600,000 ($828,000) and scheduled flights at £126,000 ($173,900). Total royal travel expenditure rose by £500,000 to £4.7 million ($6.49 million).

The largest single travel cost was £400,000 ($552,000) for King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s visit to Australia and Samoa.

The Sovereign Grant, public funding for monarchy's running costs, remained at £86.3 million ($119.1 million) for 2024-25 but is set to rise to £132.1 million ($182.3 million) in 2025-26.

This increase will cover renovation works at Buckingham Palace over two years as part of a £369 million ($509.2 million) ten-year refurbishment project, which has tripled the grant since its introduction in 2012 after adjusting for inflation.

Funding comes from the Treasury and is calculated as a percentage of Crown Estate profits.

The report noted the Royal Family carried out over 1,900 official engagements last year, with nearly 94,000 guests attending events at royal residences. Diplomatic occasions included hosting Qatar’s state visit to the UK.

The Duchy of Cornwall, providing income for the Prince of Wales, reported a profit of £22.9 million ($31.6 million), slightly down from the previous year. Following media scrutiny, Kensington Palace said the duchy would focus on positive social impact.

Will Bax, the duchy’s new secretary, described plans for a “modern, socially minded” approach, including rent waivers and reductions of up to 50% for some charitable and community groups. “This would cost significant sums,” he said, but aims to transform the duchy into a social enterprise supporting communities and reflecting Prince William’s interests in homelessness and climate change.

Anti-monarchy group Republic criticised the royal funding amid debates over welfare cuts. Republic’s chief executive, Graham Smith, called royal funding a “scandalous abuse of public money,” noting the published figures exclude security costs.

By Aghakazim Guliyev