Ever fancied riding a bouncy castle to work? Well that could become a reality if this plan gets off the ground.

A design company has come up with an idea to use inflatable seats on trains, potentially increasing space by 40%.

Swan hugs the man who nursed her back to healthBasically, the seats could be deflated during peak times so that there’s more room for people to stand, and inflated when it’s a bit quieter so people can sit down.


Arup, the design and engineering consultancy behind the concept, said it could actually be in place by 2020, according to the Mail on Sunday.



It’s not just the seats that are in for an overhaul in design terms – mood lighting, anyone?

The designer said that ‘a cool white light during the morning provides passengers with an environment to wake up in, whilst in the afternoon and evening a warm white light reflects the colour temperature of an evening sunset.

‘The air train draws inspiration from clouds floating in the sky and it is intended that passengers should feel this way as they move freely through the carriages.’

They added: ‘The novelty of the seats makes people smile. When using prototypes, two volunteers struggled to resist the temptation to try to bounce their friends up and down.’

However, there’s a word of warning: ‘It is extremely important to prevent a “bouncy castle” effect where people disturb others by sitting down suddenly.’