There Is No Reason to Cross the U.S. by Train. But I Did It Anyway. (2019)
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
On Amtrak, sleeping in coach sucks, and roomettes are way too expensive.
But in India, what's basically a coach ticket gets you this wonderful bed.
If you haven't seen one of these: During the day, everybody sits on padded benches that have these back rests. Then at night, some kind of consensus ripples through the train car, at which point you get up, swing your backrest up 90 degrees -- there's a hinge at the top -- and hang the outside edge (which had been the bottom) from the ceiling with sturdy straps. The hardware -- roughly a loop and a hook, though a little more secure than that -- is solid metal that makes a satisfying "chunk" noise, so it feels safe. Now, voila, one bench with two seats becomes a bunk-bed with two beds. There are also little curtains that are attached somehow; I forget if you have to hang them or if they're already there.
Anyway, it's simple but great.
I'm telling you, Amtrak, the bench/bed things are genius. I sleep like a baby.
I wouldn't mind low speed rail so much if I knew I could sleep comfortably at night.