Mivan, the Belfast-based fit-out contractor, has completed a £2.5m contract to fit-out 10 luxury railway carriages for Belmond.
Sixty skilled crafts people and 35,000 man hours have been dedicated to transforming the former Mark III Irish Rail carriages into elegant cars with interiors reflecting Dublin’s Georgian architecture and the Irish countryside.
Inside 7 months, the Mivan team of specialist have refurbed 5 sleeper cars, 2 restaurant/pantry cars, 1 observation car (including bar), 1 crew car and 1 generator car. Work included the design and installation of metalwork, joinery, painting, fitting and upholstery.
A ‘country house on wheels’, each carriage is unique in that it is named after a county on the island of Ireland and has its own colour scheme and carpets which incorporate that county’s traditional tartan.
Following the 30th August launch, travellers will be invited to ‘enter a shimmering world of indulgence’ as Belmond Grand Hibernian becomes Belmond’s 7th luxury train and Celtic sister to Belmond Royal Scotsman.
Neil Ward, chief executive of Mivan, said: “We are delighted to have completed this prestigious project for Belmond, an iconic name in rail travel, and to demonstrate yet again the superb skills offered by Northern Ireland trade and craft workers.”
