Amtrak refurbishes its trains

If travelling on Amtrak trains is part of your travel schedule on U.S. east coast business trips, we have some great news for you. All Amtrak’s train interiors will be refurbished. The last time Amtrak renovated its interiors was in the late 1990s.

In the first half of 2018, a $16 million refresh involves swapping out seats, carpets, lighting and upholstery. Quartz magazine reports that new grey synthetic leather passenger chairs offer more lumbar support and cushier seating. The historic and slightly outdated look & feel of Amtrak’s trains will be preserved in an elegant way. From 50 sketches and 10 prototypes, Amtrak chose a retro looking design for its new seats, fitting the 1970s Amfleet cabins and match the blue and grey corporate color palette established in the 1990s.

After testing 20 prototypes for durability, Amtrak management chose a subtly pattered blue nylon carpet for the trains’ flooring. Amtrak will also introduce a new find-your-gate app designed to lessen the queuing mayhem during boarding.

Further reading on quartz.qz.com