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I've heard and seen train names that consist of common nouns take a definite article (eg: the Orient Express, the Sabarmati Express, etc., according to Wikipedia.).

I don't know if it's the same case with train names,

1) That consist of a proper noun or the place name they travel from/to (eg: Rawal Express, Pakistan Express, etc.).

2) That consist of more than 1 proper noun or the names of the places of both the origin and the destination (eg: Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Duronto Express, etc.).

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    In the US all "named" trains that I can think of take the definite article. – Hot Licks Jul 19 '15 at 12:47
  • What's the question here? "Orient Express", "Rawal Express" and "Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Duronto Express" all contain the name of the start or end point of the journey (as does something like "The Brighton Belle"). – Andrew Leach♦ Jul 19 '15 at 12:58
  • For a definite article without a 'place-name' see: troytaylorbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-wreck-of-broker.html – Oldbag Jul 19 '15 at 13:45
  • In the US, Empire Builder, City of New Orleans, Southwest Chief, and California Zephyr would normally all be given the definite article. Note that these are all names that denote a specific route and level of service, and the specific train engines/cars used may or may not be "named" (with unrelated names), while the same tracks used will be utilized by many other trains, including those hauling coal, oil, and various random materials. – Hot Licks Jul 19 '15 at 16:06
  • @Hot Licks, you're comments are so informative. Thanks a lot! – Karanjeet Kaur Jul 20 '15 at 15:19
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In the UK, we give names to "lines" or routes rather than the train. The definite article is usually used in normal speech, for example "The Victoria Line". A search for "Victoria Line" reveals that this is almost universal in most kinds of texts such as news reports, discussions by or about passengers, services, railway administration.

In timetables and also their announcements of engineering works, delays, etc, the train companies seem to avoid the definite article by using a written style that is less discursive and which uses formatting that favours brief titles (displaying the name of a line simply as "Victoria Line", for example). Extensive examples can be compared on the Transport for London website.

The only named train I can think of offhand is Eurostar. This could, in normal speech, refer to either the services or to the physical trains that it uses and which are highly distinctive to it. We talk of "taking the Eurostar" but also of "going by Eurostar". British people wouldn't assume this referred specifically to either the physical trains or to the institution and context would be the guide. Nevertheless, as seen on the Eurostar website, the definite article is largely avoided by the operators and the name is used in the manner of a brand name.

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    To this day, individual trains (or at least, engines) have regularly carried names in the UK; some have even become household names (The Flying Scotsman, Mallard). Some named services do also attract the definite article; for instance the Caledonian Sleeper, although (as @Karasinsky points out) for some reason the operator seems keen to suppress that. A more generic "the nine o'clock to Birmingham" is widely used for most other services. – JHCL Oct 11 '15 at 10:29

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