Acela sets interior refresh 2018-19

[cpotisch]

Is this a complete refurbishment of the original interiors or have they been already refurbished once ? Either way it would now seem that these trains sets will outlive the compllete introduction of Acela-2s ? Food for thought ? ?

They've already been refurbished a few times. That's mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

[cpotisch]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

I live in Indy and before our current stadium (Lucas Oil Stadium) was opened, they had to implode the old stadium (technically it was the RCA Dome, but many of us continued to call it the Hoosier Dome). The fabric from the roof was made into purses, wallets, journal covers, etc. I bought one. There were a lot of Indy folks who did.

If they can both make money and recycle, that sounds like a brilliant idea.

Fair enough.

 

[daybeers]

People for Urban Progress announces high-end Amtrak bag collection. Please allow a fair use quote:

People for Urban Progress (PUP), an Indianapolis-based nonprofit specializing in advancing good design and civic sustainability, announced today a partnership with Amtrak to repurpose leather seat covers from 20 refreshed Amtrak Acela Express train sets and save those materials from landfills by transforming them into luxury bags. The partnership is a direct result of how both companies fully embrace sustainability as a fundamental part of their businesses. This landmark project is PUP's first national endeavor, and a new initiative for Amtrak as well.

The limited-edition launch of the Amtrak Collection includes handmade accessories from Amtrak's flagship Acela Express. The first launch of the slate blue luxury leather bags includes totes, backpacks and dopp kit. Approximately 2,500 bags are expected to roll out in small-batch releases during the next 10 to 12 months as the seat coverings are repurposed. All designs are developed and hand-made by the designers at PUP, who also developed the process of repurposing the seats. This includes separating the leather from the foam seat, dry cleaning the leather utilizing an environmentally friendly process and then cutting the leather and sewing it together to create each product.

The full line of the Amtrak Collection will retail between $75 to $750 dollars. In addition to the new Amtrak collection, PUP sells a variety of bags and wallets made from arena roofing materials, event banners, reclaimed seatbelts and more, ranging in price between $12 and $172.

Here's the collection's website. In my opinion, the products are certainly on the expensive side, but I think it will be a very cool partnership! Definitely a win all around.