GREAT BRAZIL EXPRESS - THE FIRST AND ONLY LUXURY TRAIN OF BRAZIL

The Great Brazil Express, the first Brazilian luxury train, began its commercial operation on May 22nd, 2008 and brought with it the hope to stimulate - even more - the luxury market in Brazil, which in 2007 grew 11.5 % according to MCF Consulting and Knowledge.

The first luxury train in Brazil promotes a nostalgic trip to the golden era of wealth, refinement and good taste. An unforgettable life experience, both for the scenery, going through huge plantations, rivers, canyons and mountains, and for the pleasure of being at its rich interior, with hardwood furniture and its thematic decoration with the best of Brazilian Flora and fauna.

Adonai Aires de Arruda (Brazilian), Thierry Nicholas (Belgium) and Thomas Glenndahl (Swedish) invested  around R$ 2 million  to structure not only the two cars (with 22 seats each) that operate in the circuit, but also taking actions to promote it and make it known nationally and internationally.

The luxury train operates within a touristic circuit of 9 or 10 days in Brazil, covering 12 cities in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Castro, Cascavel, Curitiba, Morretes, Antonina, Piraquara, Guarapuava Irati, Tibagi, Ponta Grossa and Foz do Iguaçu). The new equipment goes through the cities of Ponta Grossa, Guarapuava Irati and Cascavel, on a stretch of 500 km, while the other trip stretches will be done by plane and deluxe buses.

Transnico International

The Transnico International Group was founded in 1992 by the Belgian Thierry Nicolas and is among the most prestigious rail tour operators in the world. Headquartered in Brussels (Belgium), the group has four other offices throughout Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States and Cuba. Promoting incentive travel in luxury trains is among its specialties. To ensure quality in programs offered by the operator, Thierry Nicolas visits personally facilities, cars and everything else offered to the passenger. Experienced in the area – he is involved in rail tourism for at least 25 years - Nicolas has been in more than 140 countries making technical visits to manage operations or to make agreements to expand Transnico’s portfolio. (www.transnico.com)

Decoration

To show the world the new touristic project, the Great Brazil Express brought the designer Paulo Peruzzo, one of the most renowned Brazilian professionals. He developed the whole concept that is found inside the Litorina, whose names are "Foz" and "Copacabana", a reference to the main postcards of Brazil abroad. The trains reproduce the colonial time of Brazil, when trains were very popular. Upholstery and curtains, tables and lamps, everything was meticulously planned.