Amtrak's new high-speed Acela line is wooing business travelers in the Northeast back to rail with high-tech conveniences, room to spread out and comfortable amenities.

While people in Europe and Japan have long viewed passenger trains as the preferred way to take trips of less than 500 miles, Americans have opted to go by car or plane. To be fair, Americans have had little choice, since passenger trains in the U.S. have not kept pace with other modes of transportation over the past several decades. In fact, the government-subsidized National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak, was formed in 1971 because rail companies wanted out of the money-losing passenger-train business. Last December Amtrak set out to give cars and planes a run for their money with the debut of Acela Express, America's first high-speed train service.

Marketed as a business travelers' alternative in the perpetually gridlocked Northeast Corridor (Boston-New York-Washington), Acela signals Amtrak's goal of making train travel relevant to the 21st century. Acela's sleek teal fin logo, inspired by the serenity of a sea turtle gliding through pristine water, has become a symbol of that change. The quiet, smooth-running Acela trains are capable of traveling at 150 miles per hour although old infrastructure, inherited from Amtrak's hodgepodge of predecessor railroad companies, is still forcing them to go much slower. But the most dramatic difference to most passengers is the deluxe quality of the experience.

That emphasis on customer comfort emerged from extensive research undertaken by Amtrak and its team of designers gleaned from IDEO (San Francisco and Boston) and OH&CO (New York). Interviews with over 24,000 Northeast travelers showed that people love trains, but were tired of being treated like commodities. "People love the notion of traveling a long distance, relaxing, looking out the window," says Barbara Richardson, Amtrak's executive vice president. "What was discouraging to us was that none of that translated to Amtrak. We were viewed like a utility. We also found that Americans love their freedom and their cars but they had reached a frustration point. They don't like sitting in traffic and things like road rage. We knew we had a huge opportunity but we also knew we had a dated image. We weren't viewed as modern."

To encourage people in the Northeast Corridor to give train travel and Amtrak a fresh try, Amtrak knew it had to address the business travelers' desire for a better quality of life, a span of time where they could feel free to unwind. "This is not about speed. What we're giving people is time," says OH&CO principal Brent Oppenheimer.

ichardson concurs, comparing it to recent American Express ads. "It used to be you were nobody unless you had a gold card. Now it's about how you use your gold card. That's what Acela is about: inner values. It's not the time it takes you to get somewhere, it's all about how you use your time." That Zen-like philosophy is apparent in new "Life on Acela" ads that urge "Depart from your inhibitions" and "Inner children travel free."

Acela's cars are well designed for work or leisure. They offer more comfortable seating and legroom than air shuttles. Every seat has electrical outlets for laptops, music channels and CNN audio feeds. Each train has six roomy pay-phone areas with Internet connections; cell phone signals can be picked up anywhere. There are numerous conference areas, but those seeking tranquility can relax in the designated "quiet" car, devoid of conversation and cell phones. The bistro car, with its panoramic windows, serves items like fresh salads, gourmet coffee blends and beer on draft. Passengers in first class are given unlimited beverages, and menu options are served on china and linen.

Creating that environment began by studying how travelers use their time. Building on Amtrak's market research, the design team used human factors experts to shadow a broad range of travelers disabled, young, old. Those experts also toured stations and interviewed Amtrak constituents ranging from senior managers to station operators. Their findings helped define a vision that outlined the 10 steps in a typical passenger trip: 1. learning (about routes, timetables, etc.), 2. planning, 3. starting, 4. entering, 5. ticketing, 6. waiting, 7. boarding, 8. riding, 9. arriving and 10. continuing (their journey). Those points of customer contact identified design opportunities.

"We wanted to create a seamless journey. Riding on the train was actually the eighth step," says Richard Eisermann, who was IDEO's project leader on Acela. "Everything prior to the ride was something that Amtrak never connected with the experience. The ten points became the core of what we tried to do. We wanted to look at the design implications across the board."

IDEO enlisted Brent Oppenheimer and Robin Haueter to ensure a multidisciplinary approach. Now partners in OH&CO, Oppenheimer and Haueter brought expertise in brand strategy and design to IDEO's specialists in human factors, environments and industrial design. The design group worked with Amtrak executives from areas like marketing, mechanicals, customer service and operations. Aside from the government entity's cost constraints and stringent safety requirements, the designers also had to incorporate the preexisting car design from the consortium awarded the train contract: Canada's Bombardier and France's Alstom Ltd. Acela's cars blend mechanical and structural elements from European trains but are rejiggered for American tracks. Acela's "train sets" consist of locomotives at each end, a first class car, four business cars and a bistro car for a total of 304 seats.

OH&CO had previously worked on the design of AVE, the Spanish high-speed railway launched in 1992. Richardson, who saw the AVE cars in Spain before OH&CO joined IDEO's Acela team, explains one of AVE's most appealing features. "Trains differed from culture to culture but the Spanish train had a warmth and comfortable feeling to it that would appeal to Americans," she recalls. "The interiors weren't plush. It wasn't about efficiency. It was all about the comfort of the passengers."

Drawn to the strategy behind the AVE system, Amtrak sought similar qualities. Tailoring that to the Amtrak system, however, wasn't easy. "The question we faced was: how to fit Acela into the context of what Amtrak already has in place, what its competition is, and what the marketplace is in the Northeast," explains Oppenheimer. "It was extremely important to change Amtrak's focus from pure equipment development to the creation of an integrated set of services."

These services place passenger comfort needs first and foremost, beginning with the seating. Oversized, and with extra legroom, the seats rotate with the touch of a foot pedal to let neighbors face each other. They also have pull-down footrests and tray tables for working and eating. Neck pillows slide along a moveable band to accommodate travelers of any height. IDEO's Eisermann wanted to break up the boxy sameness of train cars. He used three separate shades of plum, green and teal, each made from the same rich weave flecked with red and yellow, and mixed them throughout the car. The business class configuration features two seats on each side of the aisle, while in first class, there are two seats on one side of the aisle, a single on the other. The arrangements alternate so there are doubles and singles on both sides of the train. The seats do not all face the same way. "We wanted to give the cabins a rhythm and feeling of individual space," explains Eisermann. "It gives the train a sensibility that is less like a cattle car."

Some seats face one another with "conference" tables between them. Each train has 32 of the tables, which are big enough to accommodate everything from architects' blueprints to family board games. Those tables solve a prickly problem that has long annoyed Amtrak travelers and staff alike. Passengers have always camped out in the dining car because of its tables, blocking passengers who want to sit down and eat.

The design of the bistro car also reflects that need for control of passenger flow. Gone are tables that entice passengers to linger; Acela's modern-looking cafe features a bar with attractive stools and a leather-padded rail for those who like to lean and watch the changing landscape through the car's large windows. Video monitors display the day's news from CNN. "With Acela, dining is centered less around the idea of `table' it's more about using a bar," explains Eisermann. "We wanted to create an area that was casual; people could sit, lean and rest. But we didn't want them to get so comfortable that they'd want to hang out there." The bistro car's modern look reinforces Acela's new, freshly prepared menu offering specials like a Maine Lobster wrap. There are new specials every two weeks.

Maneuvering through Acela's cars is easy. "Flow was a key word in terms of the train's image," notes Eisermann. "We wanted it to be softer, not as hard as traditional trains. We wanted it to look more architectonic, more home style. The interior should have a sense of rhythm and movement." Aisles are wider, lighting is brighter and warmer, and passengers don't have to strain to open heavy doors. Glass panels, which slide open automatically, separate seating areas and vestibules that house exit doors, phones and bathrooms.

Acela's designers went through as many as 200 different versions to settle on the right restroom for the trains. In contrast to the stainless steel tombs on most trains and tiny plane restrooms, Acela's restrooms are roomy and enjoy natural light filtered through sandblasted glass. The sink and mirror lighting look more like what passengers have in their homes. There's also a diaper-changing table and a full-size mirror. The ample-sized restrooms meet wheelchair requirements, a consideration throughout Acela's cars. "We shadowed a regular Amtrak traveler in a wheelchair," recalls Eisermann. "It was eye-opening to see what he went through to get on the train and use it."

In addition to passengers, Amtrak surveyed railroad employees about customer complaints, suggestions and usage patterns; the Acela team wanted to know what the train's crew needed to do their job better. As a result, conductors have their own workspace for the first time. Previously, they had to claim a couple of seats to handle paperwork. Their new space contains computer screens where conductors can monitor things like speed levels. Conductors are also sporting new, updated uniforms created by designer Stan Herman, who also outfitted the ranks of FedEx, JetBlue and McDonald's staffers.

Amtrak has always been associated with deep blue, but it wanted a warmer shade, more akin to teal. (Purples, greens, red accents and blonde wood compliment the teal.) "We wanted a color palette that is more sophisticated than you'd normally find on a train," says Eisermann. "It's fairly muted. It's a tone-on-tone approach with some spots of color thrown in. They're not pure colors they're complex but they still have some saturation in them."

Amtrak also wanted a fresh name for its new high-speed service. At first it considered calling it "American Flyer," which sounded very patriotic, but the design team argued against it because America was not known for its trains. OH&CO came up with the name Acela, based on the ideas of acceleration and excellence. "It's a name that can be adapted and implemented anywhere. It's not a geographically-centered name the way trains usually are," Oppenheimer points out.

Those qualities are critical to the future of American rail travel and to the future of Amtrak, which has been plagued by deficits since it was founded 30 years ago. Amtrak has never received the public support that trains get in Europe and Japan, which have state-of-the-art high-speed trains soaring along dedicated tracks. (Acela must share its tracks with commuter and freight trains, which slows it down.) Legislation passed in 1997 set a January 2003 deadline for Amtrak to break even or face restructuring or liquidation. In planning the launch of Acela, the design team knew they were dealing with a challenge far larger than aesthetics and functionality. "America is becoming more like Europe, which relies on high-speed intercity trains. That's where you make money," concludes Oppenheimer. "A large part of Amtrak's future relies on Acela."