Mivan completes £2.5 million bespoke carriage refit

The project saw the firm refurbish 10 luxury carriages for exclusive travel company Belmond.

“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,” said Mivan CEO Neil Ward.

“Mivan, like Belmond, is a strong performer on the global stage and has a work force which has grown to 150 since 2014. We aim to employ 200 skilled staff by the end of 2017 and to prove, through projects like this, that we can deliver superlative results.”

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 seven months, the Mivan team has refurbished five sleeper cars, two restaurant/pantry cars, an observation car, including bar, one crew car and one 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 August 30 launch, travellers will be invited to ‘enter a shimmering world of indulgence’ as Belmond Grand Hibernian becomes Belmond’s seventh luxury train and Celtic sister to Belmond Royal Scotsman.

The project is the latest in a series by Mivan, which have included £7m of cruise ship fitout, the completion of a £6m-plus contract for luxury apartments and penthouses in Fitzroy, One Hyde Park and the Bulgari Hotel and residences in London.