Where appropriate, The Queen and other members of the Royal Family use scheduled train services for their official journeys.

In addition, the Royal Train is used by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales on longer journeys around the UK.

The Royal Train enables members of the Royal Family to travel overnight and at times when the weather is too bad to fly, and to work and hold meetings during lengthy journeys. It has modern office and communications facilities.

Journeys on the train are always organised so as not to interfere with scheduled services.

The first Royal train journey took place on 13 June 1842, when the engine Phlegethon, pulling the Royal saloon and six other carriages, transported Queen Victoria from Slough to Paddington. The journey took 25 minutes.
The train consists of carriages drawn from a total of eight purpose-built saloons, pulled by one of the two Royal Class 67 diesel locomotives: 67005 'Queen's Messenger' and 67006 'Royal Sovereign'. Both locomotives were named in ceremonies performed by The Queen.

The exact number and combination of carriages forming the Royal Train is determined by factors such as which member of the Royal Family is travelling and the time and duration of the journey. When not pulling the Royal Train, the two locomotives are used for general duties.

The carriages are a distinctive maroon with red and black coach lining and a grey roof. The carriages available include the royal compartments, sleeping, dining and support cars.

The Queen's Saloon has a bedroom, bathroom and a sitting room with an entrance which opens onto the platform.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Saloon has a similar layout plus a kitchen. Scottish landscapes by Roy Penny and Victorian prints of earlier rail journeys hang in both saloons.

A link with the earliest days of railways is displayed in The Duke of Edinburgh's Saloon: a piece of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's original broad gauge rail, presented on the 150th anniversary of the Great Western Railway. Brunel had accompanied Queen Victoria on her inaugural 1842 journey.

The current Queen's and Duke's Saloons came into service in 1977, when they were extensively used during the Silver Jubilee Royal tours.

They had began life in 1972 as prototypes for the standard Inter-City Mark III passenger carriage and were later fitted out for their Royal role at the Wolverton Works, where work on the Royal Train is normally done.

Network Rail manages the Royal Train and owns the rolling stock. Day-to-day operations are conducted by another privatised company, DB Schenker.