India: The Indian Maharaja Deccan Odyssey (theindianmaharaja.co.in) is the latest offering from the Luxury Trains group, and will be run in collaboration with Taj, one of the country’s best hotel companies. The 44 suites are suitably plush and there is even a spa car for a massage in motion. The service, running between Mumbai and Delhi, starts this month. Seven nights from £2,315pp, excluding flights.

India: The Maharajas’ Express (rirtl.com) isn’t backward in coming forward, claiming that it will be the world’s most luxurious train when it launches in January. It will carry a maximum of 84 passengers in suites with panoramic windows, LCD televisions, DVD players and environmentally friendly bathrooms. The observation lounge will have a bar, games tables and a boutique. It will operate tours between Delhi and Mumbai or Calcutta. Six nights from £2,649pp, excluding flights.

China: Tangula Luxury Trains (tangulaluxurytrains.com) promises state-of-the-art, custom-built carriages, managed by the upmarket hotel chain Kempinski. Services are due to begin next spring, running from Beijing to Lhasa in Tibet or to Lijiang in the southern province of Yunnan. Suites will have minibars, flatscreen televisions and WiFi plus “oxygen enrichment facilities” for high-altitude travel. Three nights from £2,050pp, excluding flights.

Thailand: In February, the Eastern & Oriental Express (orient-express.com) will make its first crossing of the Friendship Bridge that spans the Mekong River, linking Thailand and Laos. The trip takes in the Khmer temples at Phimai and the Khao Yai wine region en route from Bangkok to Vientiane, capital of Laos. Three nights from £1,080pp, excluding flights.

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