Sleep Focused Train Car
Supporting rest, comfort, and personal space in a new class of overnight rail travel.
Solo travelers who want an elevated experience are often left with no options, especially for night travel. Premium expands Amtrak’s class offerings, providing a lay-flat experience and creating a sense of privacy, comfort, and control.
Winter 2025
10 weeks
Design Partners: Terra Sulivan, Nate Spurling
Professor: Sarah Serpanos
Teague: Mockup Vehicle and Support
◤ Brief
Design a passenger experience where the primary objective is a restful night’s sleep.
Client: Amtrak.
Framing: long-haul rail car (8+ hours).
Focus: Passenger sleep experience within the train
◤ Research
Sleeping while you travel is an underwhelming experience at best. Miserable at worst.
The rail system in America is an underutilized resource for passenger travel, but it holds unique potential. By making sleep a core part of the journey, trains could offer a restful alternative to flying or driving. Instead of losing valuable daytime hours in transit, passengers can sleep through the night and wake up at their destination.
Current Amtrak Offerings
Ticket price based on fare from Seattle, WA to Oakland, CA
Coach
• No Middle seat
• No way to lay flat
• $120 +
Photo by Mitch Altman, used under CC BY-NC 2.0
Private Rooms
• For 2 people
• Day seating, Berths at night
• $600 - $1300 +
◤ Problem
There’s a gap in Amtrak’s offerings.
Travelers must choose between cramped Coach seating or expensive Private Rooms. Solo passengers looking for a balance of comfort, privacy, and value are left without a clear option.
Riding Amtrak Coach
◤ Amtrak Brand Audit
Defining where the brand is, and where it could go.
We conducted a brand audit to understand what Amtrak currently communicates and where there’s room to evolve.
From the audit, five principles emerged.
These design principles guided our decisions throughout the project, helping us create a cohesive vision aligned with both user needs and brand direction.
Design elements guide passengers through light, form, and material. Unnecessary details are minimized for a calm, intuitive space.
Repetition, lighting, and motion echo the train’s gentle rhythm to support rest. Unified forms create a continuous, soothing experience.
Privacy, soft materials, and inviting textures help passengers feel safe, relaxed, and at home in their space.
Timeless forms and natural textures age well, withstand use, and maintain a clean, elegant look over time.
Technology remains subtle—only present when needed. Controls and screens fade into the background to prioritize rest.
◤ Result
Amtrak Premium
Creating a new class in Amtrak's offering.
Guiding passengers into their space.
Soft floor lighting leads passengers to their pods. Seat indicators make it easy to find the right spot.
Transiting into sleep.
The pod supports three postures: sitting upright for arrival, leaning back to relax, and lying flat for sleep.
Balancing privacy and openness.
The sliding door adds a sense of security without fully closing off the space, making it feel safe but not confined.
Creating a soft, personal shell.
The canopy wraps around each passenger to offer privacy and comfort. Durable materials on the outside meet soft, welcoming textures inside.
Personal control over your environment.
Passengers can adjust lighting and airflow to shape the space around them to their needs.
Designing for small needs.
Trash, shoe storage, and wireless charging are all built in, keeping the space organized and convenient to use.
◤ Process
Designing in Full Scale.
With a full-size mockup shell provided by Teague, we explored spatial layout, posture, and physical comfort throughout the design process.
Exploring layout and orientation.
We tested different layouts to meet capacity goals while keeping the space comfortable. Flexible walls let us try out ideas quickly in full scale. The herringbone layout was chosen because it offered efficient use of space, window views, and reduced sightlines.
Refining form and posture.
We explored door options, curved forms, and a fixed lay-flat design. Nesting unit concepts helped us test multifunction features, and evaluate posture and comfort in different seated and reclined positions.
Dialing in ergonomics and privacy.
Using a structural mockup, we refined the canopy creating a more enclosed and private feel. We focused on ergonomics by testing backrest angles, side table height, and reach zones. We also explored storage ideas to support passenger needs.
Simplifying and unifying the design.
We removed extra features and focused on achieving smooth, flowing forms. Using Photoshop and Vizcom, we quickly explored patterns, materials, and shapes to create a more cohesive design.
◤ Final Prototype
The final prototype, cut from foam by Teague, brings the pod to life at full size. Thanks to Teague and my teammates for their collaboration and support throughout the process.
