Dream of the Desert is set to begin operations in September 2027, with journeys across Saudi Arabia, stays of two or three nights, links with AlUla and fares covering food, transport and activities on board.
In an exclusive interview with Lana, Raffaele Breschi, General Manager of Dream of the Desert and CEO of Arsenale International, said the project would differ from other rail journeys because of its route through the desert and because the company plans to manage the passenger experience from the start to the end of the trip.
“It’s in the desert. It’s the first and only luxury train that takes you through the desert The second aspect is that we’re actually curating the experience end to end. It’s not a train trip; it’s a destination. It’s an experience,” Breschi said.
He said the company was developing an “all inclusive, fully curated experience” rather than treating the train as a means of getting passengers between destinations.
Breschi ‘s comments came on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), taking place from September 14-17 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Dream of the Desert to combine food, games, music and storytelling
Passengers – 14 and above – will be able to spend time in their cabins or in shared spaces on the train. Breschi said passengers staying in their cabins would be able to watch the landscape, have a massage, eat or read during journey times
“If you are in the common areas instead, it’s all about food, storytelling, music and games, board games,” he said. Board games from Saudi Arabia will form part of the programme, with a game master available to explain rules and play with passengers. Games played in other countries will also be available.
Breschi said food would be served at several points during the day, including breakfast, a break in the morning, lunch, afternoon tea, aperitivo and dinner.
“The food is going to be a big aspect,” he said, adding that the train would act as a platform for chefs. He said the food programme would combine cuisine from Saudi Arabia with cuisine from other countries. “There will be a lot to discover across pretty much all the touch points,” Breschi said.
Saudi culture to run through train design and service
Breschi said elements of Saudi Arabia’s culture would be incorporated into the design, service and passenger experience. He revealed the design work had been carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia and had been approved by the Heritage Commission.
“From the design of the train itself, we did this in collaboration with the Minister of Culture in Saudi. Everything will be injected and our staff will be trained in a way that Saudi hospitality is basically portrayed,” Breschi said.
Service on the train will also draw on practices associated with hospitality in Saudi Arabia, including how coffee is served and how passengers are greeted.
Dream of the Desert targets Saudi and international passengers
The company is targeting passengers from Saudi Arabia and other markets. Among customers from Saudi Arabia, Breschi said the company was looking at couples, families with older children and companies.
“We look at young couples as well as more mature couples with older kids,” he said. Passengers will be able to travel with family members, although Breschi said the train was not designed around children.
“We also look a lot at Saudi corporates,” he said, adding “we expect the B2B segment to be a substantial segment for us.”
For customers outside Saudi Arabia, Breschi said people with experience of rail travel were one target group. “Internationally speaking, for train lovers, there are people that actually tried other trains across the world that can’t wait to go and try this one,” he said.
Another group will be travellers who want to visit Saudi Arabia. Breschi said the train could form one part of a wider itinerary combining a stay in Diriyah, a journey on Dream of the Desert, a stay in AlUla and a flight to the Red Sea.
“We’re going to complement or be a good addition to the Saudi tourism,” he said.
AlUla partnership to extend Dream of the Desert journey
AlUla is a partner in the project and is expected to form an extension of the rail journey. “AlUla is our partner. AlUla would be an extension of our journey,” Breschi said.
The company is working with AlUla on an air or road connection between Hail and AlUla. Breschi said the drive would take about four hours. “Our journey would stop in Hail, and then the clients would be there picked up by SUVs and taken to AlUla, or we fly them to AlUla for culmination of the journey,” he said. “So it’s an extension of our trip.”
Road transport will be included in the ticket price. “If you want to fly on a private jet to AlUla, that will not be included,” Breschi said.
However, the company is still yet to release final prices. “Pricing is not going to be disclosed yet. It will be disclosed by the end of the year,” he said.
When asked what would be included in the fare, Breschi said: “The whole experience will include food and transportation.”
Dream of the Desert to use actors instead of guides
Breschi said the company’s approach would focus on the combination of design, food, comfort, storytelling and performances rather than individual products or brands.
“Luxury for us, it’s not about just the best design or the best food,” he said. “It’s a five-star hotel that moves.”
Actors will be used to tell stories connected with locations on the journey. “We’re not going to have guides that tell you, ‘Here’s a castle from the 12th century,’” Breschi said, adding that instead, actors would play people connected with events at sites along the route.
“We’re going to have actors that will embody, that will play the role of that particular conqueror that tried to conquer the castle and failed,” he said.
Breschi compared the format with a stage production. “The whole show will unveil like a musical, like a Broadway show,” he said, adding the aim was for passengers to regard the journey as an experience they would remember after leaving the train.
“We want our clients to come back after the trip and say, get off the train and say, ‘Wow, that was an incredible memory that we just built.’ That has to be in the bucket list,” he said.
However, journey length will depend on the itinerary. “Minimum two nights, or between two and three nights,” Breschi said, adding that one task for the company was changing perceptions of train travel.
Italian-built train faces engineering work for Saudi conditions
Engineering is another challenge for the project. Breschi said the train was being manufactured in Italy using Trenitalia carriages from the 1970s and 1980s that were being renovated for operation in Saudi Arabia.
The work includes preparing the carriages for sand, heat and weather conditions in Saudi Arabia. “Renovating them and making them weatherproof here in the kingdom, it’s complex,” Breschi said, referring to commissioning and wear on the brakes.
“There are some engineering challenges that our team is, you know, solving one by one,” he said.
When asked whether current regional developments due to the Iran war had affected the project, Breschi said there had been limited impact. “Not so much, to be honest. We are still on plan, still on track,” he said.
Saudi Railways partnership opens prospect of more Dream of the Desert routes
More routes could be introduced as Saudi Arabia’s rail network develops. Breschi said the company does not build railway lines itself and is therefore dependent on the routes available. “Unfortunately, we’re bound by the railways, so we don’t develop the tracks ourselves,” he said.
Dream of the Desert has a partnership with Saudi Railways, which Breschi described as the project’s “first sponsors”.
He said Saudi Railways was developing a land bridge from west to east connecting Jeddah to Mecca and Medina. “That would definitely be an incredible development for us,” Breschi said.
He also referred to plans for a link with Jordan and then through Turkey towards Europe. “All of these are possibilities for us,” he said, adding that the company also hopes to see a rail concept referred to as the “Great Arabian Express”.
“We’re hoping that the concept of the Great Arabian Express will take place, to connect UAE and Oman,” he said.
The company plans to announce more details before services begin. He said announcements would cover partnerships, food, activities on board and the start of operations.
“We’ve got a lot yet to come,” he said.
September 2027 launch puts Dream of the Desert in pre-launch phase
Breschi said the company was using the period before the September 2027 launch to build relationships with tourism operators and awareness among consumers.
“We’re launching in September next year. So we have also almost a year, in fact, a year to go,” he said. “We would like to place ourselves on the map. We would like industry operators to start knowing about Dream of the Desert and the broader portfolio,” he said.
“We are kind of at pre-launch, so we are developing relationships as we speak.” Breschi said the company also needed to generate demand among travellers rather than depending solely on agents and business-to-business channels.
“There is only so much that the trade and the B2B can push. We need to portray this way of travelling, this dream, in the final consumer, and then they’re the ones who would pick up the phone, call the agents and say, ‘Hey, book me on this thing’,” he concluded.
