The District Court of Zealand and West-Brabant in the Netherlands has declared bankruptcy for Train Charter Events BV and Train Events BV on Tuesday 27 August 2024, Treinreizeiger.nl and other Dutch media report. These are the companies behind Dinner Train.
Dinner Train was known for offering dinners on a moving train and had been struggling with financial problems for some time, which meant that all trips had already been canceled. The court has appointed a trustee to investigate whether a restart of the company is still possible.
Payment problems
Although it was previously reported that victims who had booked a dinner experience would eventually get their money back, it has now become clear that reimbursement is not an option for the time being.
The bankruptcy seems to put a definitive end to this hope. In addition, it is reported that the company’s staff has also not been paid for weeks, possibly even months. The outstanding amounts per employee can amount to more than three thousand euros. The staff mainly consists of self-employed people and students.
A dining experience on board the Dinner Train costs around one hundred euros per person for a two-hour ride. It is currently unlikely that customers will get their money back.
Customers in Belgium have also been affected, where the start of the Dinner Train has been repeatedly postponed, while tickets were still being sold.
2019
In a statement to customers, the company explained that it had run into payment problems due to its dependence on various subcontractors and the breakdown of rented carriages, especially around Easter. Fully booked trips had to be cancelled completely.
This is not the first time that the company has been in trouble. In 2019, Dinner Train was declared bankrupt when it was still part of Railpromo. The former marketing manager of Railpromo then took over the company and rented the trains from a subsidiary of Railpromo.
Not conquering Belgium
Dinner Train was to start operating in Belgium on 1 March 2024. That did not happen, as we found out. Since then, operations were postponed. Communication with Dinner Train was next to non-existent.
Many customers voiced their frustration at this.
UPDATE 31 AUGUST
Stay informed via the Facebook group ‘Dinner Train Annuleringen‘.
A trustee has been appointed to handle this case his name is Fred Froger. For those who are victim of this bankruptcy, they might be able to send an email to recover the amount they paid, his email address is froger@rassers.nl
Thank you for this piece of information.
A group has been established on Facebook, for those who want to participate it´s called Dinner Train annuleringen. A lot of information is shared in this group. I already subscribed.
Thank you. I will update the post later tonight.