Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs, was the inspiration for G Train – this train palace was born

French designer, Thierry Gaugain, intends to take the experience of rail travel to a whole new level with the concept of a super-luxury “palace on a train” called G Train.

Gaugain has worked with renowned designer Philippe Starck on countless projects, including impressive yacht designs such as billionaire Steve Jobs’ 80m-long Venus ship. This “palace on the train” is his independent project.

Gaugain brought in a number of experts such as Swiss shipbuilder Stadler, glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain, British engineering firm Eckersley O’Callaghan and security firm Marine Guard to ensure the design for the palace on the train. is “feasible”.

g-train, palace on train, revealing the $ 350 million ‘palace on the train’ project

Futuristic ship simulator.

A train palace for personal use

Described as a palatial palace, the 400-meter-long train consists of 14 carriages and glass with technology so advanced that it can go from opaque to completely transparent. With a capacity of about 18 overnight passengers, the G Train is set to run at 160 kilometers per hour and will be adapted to run on rail lines across the Americas and Europe.

At the touch of a button, passengers can also change the “interior space of the train in any area”. Gaugain explains: “The ship will be a stage. You can change the light, season or tempo.

The ship can bring about unimaginable landscapes.

If they want to see the scenery on the road, they can switch the carriage door to transparent and vice versa, they can change the glass to translucent and create as many views as they want.

The G Train can also split itself into two if the people on board decide they want to go in different directions. For example, passengers enter via the central shuttle lobby, directly to the entertainment center, and the other car to the owner’s accommodation.

The ship features an area for special guests, a social room, a common room as well as a Grand Salon specially designed for grand receptions. Guests will also have access to a “secret” garden on board, while the ship’s wings fold down to create patios where parties or even concerts can be held!

A way to slow down and enjoy the present

Gaugain told CNN Travel: “This train is not a public train, only one owner can own it. We envisioned that the future owner would be someone who was aware of the uniqueness of the ship, and understood that we did not create the ship for the sake of moving from A to B, but rather for a journey”.

We are focusing on the speed of travel rather than the actual journey we are going through, says Gaugain. From then on, he viewed the G Train as a vehicle that, having stepped on it, passengers would have a lot of fun en route to their chosen destination.

Gaugain had one particular user in mind during the construction of the G Train project. This person is billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs.

“I was thinking of her as a potential user of G Train,” he said. As of now, Gaugain has yet to find a client and admits he may need to find “a crazy person” like himself to buy a ship. The G Train cost around $350 million and it took at least two and a half years to build.

“Travel is not a matter of speed, but a matter of how we make use of our time because time is the only treasure we have,” he said.

Increased interest in train travel is closely linked to environmental concerns, especially as travelers become more aware of their carbon footprint. Gaugain says he’s not surprised things are moving in this direction and predicts that trains will be even more popular in the years to come.

“Trains are not a thing of the past,” he said. “Trains are gradually being equipped to meet modern needs. Sustainability is also one of the important factors.

“There is nothing more sustainable than trains when it comes to transportation. Airplanes are slowly falling behind, while other vehicles are very energy-intensive. Trains will gradually become a vehicle of the future. Therefore, we think that we must create a ship for the new era, a ship that is a resonance between top class and advanced technology.”