Sleeper Alternative: First-Class Airline-Style Fold Flat Sections

What do you think about an option like this? As opposed to the cattle-car slumbercoach in open sections, you'd have fold-flat seating in cubicles.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... egUIARDIAQ

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... egUIARDKAQ

The Brightline West train sets will have 8 fold-flat seats in first class per the documentation they provided the FRA.

From one who has "been there, done that", they sure beat the "accommodations aft of The Curtain".

But let us be mindful that each of those pods cost some $100K EACH, and also a "been there done that", they can go on the "fritz". Maybe there is an Attendant who knows how to "soothsay" to the software, but none on the flight where my seat decided it has a mind of his own.

Worst was that I was relegated to an aft facing center cabin varietal - and there went my flightseeing!!!!

Now considering just finicky that apparatus can be, it does not take too much imagination to deduce the results from such "attentive" maintenance Amtrak affords its equipment.

I have brought this up a half dozen times in the conversation over the long distance Fleet replacement discussions.

Chinese high speed rail has already implemented a lie flat Airline style first class cabin on their trains. I think it's a perfect compromise for those that want the bigger seat, a decent size work surface, and a good night's sleep, without committing to the huge footprint that a fully enclosed bedroom and private bath require.

Professor Norman is correct that the complexity of the seat can be a concern. Then again, Amtrak Travelers learned how to live with disappointment decades ago.

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In Asia, not just China, 6 abreast coach seating is common. That is not even found in the USA in commuter trains, where 5 abreast seating is the most you will find. Of course, 3 abreast lay flat seats is popular in Asia, where there are few, if any, very fast sleeper trains.

In the USA, there is only one late night, early morning relatively fast train on the NEC without sleeper rooms. Everywhere else where the trains run in the wee hours in the USA there are trains with sleeper rooms. There are no very fast trains running in the wee hours.

As it is, at the most, Amtrak could use 3, and only 3, business class cars with lay flat seats for overnight sleeping, for that one train per direction between Boston and Newport News, including one spare. It would be a complete waste of money to design, build, and provide that service for that one train service. No other Amtrak train without a sleeper room runs in the wee hours where lay flat seats would be desired.

Additionally, I would prefer for Amtrak to reinstate a sleeper car on the Boston to Newport News service instead.

https://boingboing.net/2023/02/08/check ... n.html/amp

Japanese airline style sleepers

Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:50 am https://boingboing.net/2023/02/08/check ... n.html/amp

Japanese airline style sleepers

Looks more like an Amtrak roomette without the partition and door, being replaced by a curtain.
Definitely not an airline business class half height lay flat seat.
And Amtrak had Roomettes since the very first Superliners, if not before.

IIRC, the Japanese train shown operates on 1 meter track gauge, so loading gauge is smaller than USA.

urr304 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 12:14 pm IIRC, the Japanese train shown operates on 1 meter track gauge, so loading gauge is smaller than USA.

Close, 1067 mm or 3' 6". A similar train with actual berths, the Sunrise Seto/Izumi trains, has outside dimensions of (from Wikipedia):

Car length 21,670 mm (71 ft 1 in)
Width 2,945 mm (9 ft 7.9 in)
Height 4,090 mm (13 ft 5 in)

Still, I'd rather cram into a Sunrise Seto's "Single" as the beds are slightly larger than 77"x27.5" and your berth has a locking door.

There’s an accommodation formerly used in the United States..

They were my usual overnight accommodation during my traveling years, and I found them to be very comfortable -- and unbeatable for a transcontinental trip. Every time I'd come back to the room after a meal -- dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast (and lunch, eastbound) -- or after a spell in the lounge car, three fresh towels in the room. And of course a paper bag complete with Pullman logo for the hat which one never traveled without.

electricron wrote:In Asia, not just China, 6 abreast coach seating is common. That is not even found in the USA in commuter trains, where 5 abreast seating is the most you will find. Of course, 3 abreast lay flat seats is popular in Asia, where there are few, if any, very fast sleeper trains.

In the USA, there is only one late night, early morning relatively fast train on the NEC without sleeper rooms. Everywhere else where the trains run in the wee hours in the USA there are trains with sleeper rooms. There are no very fast trains running in the wee hours.

As it is, at the most, Amtrak could use 3, and only 3, business class cars with lay flat seats for overnight sleeping, for that one train per direction between Boston and Newport News, including one spare. It would be a complete waste of money to design, build, and provide that service for that one train service. No other Amtrak train without a sleeper room runs in the wee hours where lay flat seats would be desired.

Additionally, I would prefer for Amtrak to reinstate a sleeper car on the Boston to Newport News service instead.

You're missing the point. Sure, they would be useful for overnight lay flat sleeping, but they would also be entirely functional during the day as business class or even a first class accommodation.

I wrote in one of those between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. It was about a 1 hour ride, and worth the extra 50 RMB that I paid for it.

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lets not have specialized sleepers until the present inventory of standard sleepers is fulfilled to meet present and future demand. We do not need inventory of spare specialized sleepers not gaining revenue..

I'm a mixed bag here. I agree with you, West Point, that the Superliners have to be replaced with a 1-to-1 setup. The load on all the overnight long-distance services isn't enough to justify expanding service with such specialized equipment.

But certain areas do have the load and possible demand. The Regional's "Night Owl" from Washington to Boston is 9-10 hours overnight. Any day-trip service that takes 8+ hours and has times of pure sell-out could use a night-time service. The Pennsylvanian has enough of a load and demand to justify a second run later in the day, and I bet there could be special service for overnight carriage (which we mused about in that train's dedicated thread). So it's worth at least exploring concepts.

John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 8:38 pm There’s an accommodation formerly used in the United States..

Ahh, travel when you had enough room to stand a 6' 8" long bed on it's smallest side. Now... not so much, but splitting the mattress into two 3' 4" mattresses makes some sense... and allows for two people to sit. May have to make the seating move up/down in line with the bed being up/down, but that's more of a mechanical feature.