In addition to its extensive hotel portfolio, Belmond operates six luxury trains. The first of these was the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which began service in May 1982. The original company, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., was renamed Belmond in 2014, but its trains have remained an integral part of the brand. The Orient-Express carriages were acquired from the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits and have always been based on the European mainland. Passengers beginning their journey in London were (and are) taken to the port of Folkestone aboard the British Pullman train. There, they are transported to France via the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.