Ireland’s first luxury sleeper train, the Belmond Grand Hibernian  is to pull out of Ireland.

Belmond, the company that runs luxury hotels, trains and canal boats across the globe, says it is “too early” to reveal the train’s new base, but it expects it to remain in Europe, “where demand for immersive, slow-travel experiences of this kind is increasing”.

The Irish train lost almost half a million euro in its first operating period..

Belmond, the same company that operates the famous Orient Express, announced in 2014 that it was planning to launch an Irish sleeper train.

The service could  accommodate 40 passengers on trips around the North and Republic of Ireland. Journeys last between two and six nights.