NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Dreamstar Lines, which hopes to launch luxury overnight train service between San Francisco and Los Angeles, has released conceptual renderings of Art Deco-inspired interiors for its equipment.
The company commissioned Designworks, a BMW Group company, to create initial concepts for its plan to retrofit cars with four types of accommodations, in addition to a lounge car.
Accommodations would include standard class, which the company compares to first class on an international flight, and three types of rooms with a private bathroom and shower: bedrooms, sleeping two; suites, sleeping two in a queen bed with extra space; and family, sleeping six (including two children).
“Our goal is to create a truly memorable mode of medium-distance travel that provides an optimum blend of comfort and convenience for people who are seeking something unique and are tired of the hassles involved in traditional modes of transportation,” said Dreamstar Lines CEO Joshua Dominic, who said the sleeping cars “are designed for relaxation and incorporate circadian design principles supporting a good night’s sleep.”
Said Julia de Bono, CEO of Designworks, “With everything powered by your phone, from tickets to climate, lighting and music, passengers can enjoy effortless control without leaving their bed. Ambient lighting and thoughtful design ensure that the time spent in transit becomes restful, turning passive hours into an investment in active performance and vitality.”
Dreamstar said last year that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Union Pacific “formalizing the parties’ negotiations toward a comprehensive final agreement,” with a goal of beginning operations in 2025 [see “Plans for private San Francisco-Los Angeles overnight …,” Trains News Wire, March 25, 2024]. Dominic said then the company intended to remanufacture existing bilevel cars for the service.
Operating over UP tracks guarantees two problems; rough track and competition with freights for track. Also, UP and the other freights have contracts with Amtrak which guarantees exclusivity. That would have to be negotiated out.
This makes no sense. All these luxury features could make sense on a multi-day long distance train but for a short 10 hour overnight train, I would think all one would need/want would be a comfortable bed and a nice breakfast.
YMMV
These renderings are nothing but vaporware. Come up with a plan for the service first, the pretty pictures second.
I remember something David P. Morgan wrote many decades ago. He wrote that the problem’s with North American passenger rail didn’t stem from poor equipment, nor would better equipment solve the problems.
Anyone can commission and artist or interior designer to come up with these renderings. That doesn’t get you a train.
Think of the most prestigious airlines on the longest routes. Like Singapore Airlines or Etihad or Emirates flying you around the world on 20-hour flights. The highest class of travel at the highest fare doesn’t get you a stateroom. For $14,000 you get a semi-private pod with a lie-flat seat in a part of the airplane shared with many others. And a shared bathroom down the aisle.
So maybe for that 10-hour train trip, the railroad’s highest class should be a sleeping pod, not that huge bedroom taking up a goodly fraction of the railcar.
After decades of shrinking the space for each passenger, the airlines have a lot of experience making those few centimeters they give more comfortable. Comparing my most recent flight (one-class on SWA) to my most recent train trip (biz class on Amtrak), obviously the train gives more space but the airliner’s seats were very much more comfortable, not even a close call.
Airbnb, Air bed and breakfast, or perhaps train Trainbnb, Train bed n breakfast.
Idiots…S.F. – L.A. would be prefect for an overnight Auto-train, with as many people as go up and down the coast between the two areas daily/weekly.
IIRC either their website or other news articles mentioned that they were considering an Auto-Train type service in the future. I’m not sure where they would put the automotive part of that terminal, though. There’s a couple of open areas nearish either end, but I think both are meant to become CAHSR maintenance bases (if it ever gets built that far but that’s another discussion).
I will believe it when I see it run for awhile. All the other intra-US luxury trains in my memory crashed and burned — most before they even launched. The only success story I can recall is the original, privately-owned AutoTrain, which went bankrupt when they tried to add Chicago-Florida.
Part of the problem with Chicago to Florida is that the northern terminus was Louisville, Kentucky.
Amtrak’s northern terminus at Lorton Virgina is also too far south but, hey, it works, it’s got the ridership, so I can’t argue.
I’d hesitate calling anything Amtrak touches “Luxury”…
Looks fancy and fun. But where do they plan to get the Bilevel cars? The only available ones I can think of off the top of my head are the Caltrain ones, but 90 of those just got sold to Peru. I’m not sure if that constitutes the whole former fleet or not. Motive power may not be as hard, with all the Chargers showing up I supsect Amtrak may start selling some more of their Genesis engines.
I’ve heard rumblings the bi-levels are going to be former Santa Fe Hi-Levels, of which there are a fair amount on the market.
not long ago Staedler build some brand new bilevel cars for Rockymountaineer services. I guess they are allowed to run everywhere in North America, loadingguage permitting.
I could imagine that it woould be a good idea for Amtrak and VIA, too. If they finally want to get new equipment for long distance trains?
Anyone else remember the American European Express?
Yes! I even saw it roll through my little town in Vermont years ago. It was an autumn trip, though I don’t know its origin or ultimate destination. I was stopped at a RR crossing in our town expecting the daily freight when this surprise appeared.
Does this require Amtrak’s approval or is it exempt because it’s intrastate?
Amtrak doesn’t own the tracks so they have no say in any contract between a would be operator and the railroads…not to say they won’t try (see Amtrak vs. SunRail).
Bringing back SP’s Lark. Given the route, wouldn’t a revived Daylight be a good idea, too?