King Charles takes $47,500-a-journey train ride from Scotland to Manchester

King Charles has taken his first trip as King on the royal train. Photo / Danny Lawson-WPA Pool, Getty

King Charles III made his first trip on the royal train, which is said to cost between $47,500 and $57,000 to operate per journey.

Allegedly the late Queen’s “favourite way to travel”, the train has been in service since 1977, however, the royals have had a royal train since 1842.

The King departed Ayr in Scotland on Friday night and arrived at Manchester Victoria station on Saturday, where he had several engagements.

Used primarily by senior royals, guests must be invited aboard the nine-carriage train by the reigning monarch. Once aboard, they can enjoy a 12-person dining carriage, an office for the monarch to work and several bedrooms and bathrooms.

Interiors are, as one would expect, polished but not overly opulent. In the Channel 5 documentary Secrets of the Royal Train, former staff said some items “you could find in Homebase or B&Q”.

Inside the monarch’s private carriage, there is a single bed, a writing desk and a personal bathroom with a bathtub.

In 2019, royal correspondent Richard Palmer the average cost of one train journey, which included staffing, fuel and supplies.

“Every time they use the royal train ... it tends to be, sort of, a minimum of £25,000, thirty-five thousand pounds,” he told Channel Five.

King Charles has taken his first trip as King on the royal train. Photo / Danny Lawson-WPA Pool, Getty

The costly expense has been a source of criticism in recent years, especially after royal accounts in June 2022 revealed Queen Elizabeth II spent £100,000 of taxpayer money on the train, despite it being used three times.

On the inside, the train may look like a typical, albeit luxury, locomotive, but in the 1980s it was upgraded with special protection to keep passengers safe against machine-gun fire, bombs and even rockets.

Other royals who have used the train include the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who rode it around the UK in December 2020 during a royal tour.