This Company Wants to Bring Modern Night Trains to the U.S.—Here’s How It Could Change Domestic Travel

• Lunatrain is developing a new passenger train network in the U.S. and Canada.
  
• The long-haul routes will be exclusively night trains for the most efficient traveling.
• The company’s trains will be outfitted with comfortable, soundproof cabins for optimal sleeping.

If you’ve ever returned from a trip to Europe where you traveled from Paris to Amsterdam by train for 40 euros and wondered why the U.S. doesn’t have a comprehensive passenger train system, you’ll be happy to know one is in the works.

It’s still in its early phase, but Philadelphia-based Lunatrain is developing a passenger rail service that will connect major cities in the U.S. and Canada. Their idea is to link cities that are too far for existing daytime trains to serve efficiently. To that end, Lunatrain is focusing exclusively on sleeper trains that offer express, nonstop service, making it so the travel is primarily undertaken at night to minimize the number of waking hours people have to spend traveling. 

What that means is that you might be able to board a train in Philadelphia around dinner time and arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina, in time for breakfast, making your travel day almost nonexistent.

And if you’re wondering about comfort, consider this: Lunatrain is planning to offer sleeping cabins for every type of traveler—from solo travelers to families and groups. It notes in a February 2025 press release that, “These sleeping cabins are a significant improvement over existing sleeping train options in the United States; Lunatrain cabins are sized to meet different types of traveler needs appropriately, offer enough power outlets to charge many devices simultaneously, have improved soundproofing and vibration dampening for optimal sleeping conditions, and include access to a host of onboard amenities.”

Specifically, the press release mentions high-speed Wi-Fi, showers, lounge spaces, and onboard full-service and in-room dining.

Lunatrain’s end goal is to provide an alternative to short-haul flights and cross-country drives that is safer, more comfortable, and well-priced. It will have both economy and premium cabin options available, and an overnight train ride will be priced competitively with an airline seat of the same service class along the same route.

The initial Lunatrain network will stretch across the East Coast and Midwest. It will be primarily focused on routes that can be completed in a single night and cities that have established connections to regional transit, so you can hop aboard a city’s train or bus system to reach your final destination without having to rent a car or spring for a taxi.

Lunatrain completed a project feasibility analysis in early 2024, and has since developed financial projections for their North American night trains. Their plan is to release a demonstration unit by late 2026 to gather feedback on its designs. From there, Lunatrain will build a fleet of passenger sleeping cars.