On 14 December 2009, the Orient Express ceased to operate and the route disappeared from European railway timetables, reportedly a victim of high-speed trains and cut-rate airlines.

The original "Orient Express" did not shut down in a single day, but rather faded away due to the rise of high-speed rail and budget aviation. The legendary direct service from Paris to Istanbul ended in 1977 as travelers began to prefer the 3-hour flight over the 60-hour train journey. A shortened version, the "EuroNight Orient-Express," continued to run between Paris and Vienna until 2007, but it eventually succumbed to the competition from the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) network, which made the slow, overnight sleeper carriages economically unviable. In 2009, the name was officially retired from scheduled service. However, the brand did not disappear; in 2026, the "Orient Express" name is owned by the Accor hotel group, while the famous luxury excursion train is operated by Belmond as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. This modern version is a private luxury cruise on rails rather than a functional transport link, catering to wealthy travelers who want to recreate the "Golden Age" of travel rather than commuters needing to get from Point A to Point B.