Butterfly Flexible Seating Solutions has launched its first commercial rail seating installation, adapting its convertible motorcoach seat for use on long-distance passenger trains. The debut comes as part of a modernisation programme at Tshiuetin Rail Transportation, which is North America’s first indigenous-owned railway.
You may know Butterfly from its work in creating flexible seating concepts for aircraft cabins, and its success in several editions of the Crystal Cabin Awards. The Hong Kong-based innovation house won an award in 2014 for the Butterfly convertible seating concept, an award in 2009 for the Paperclip Armrest concept, was a finalist in 2013 with the Checkerboard convertible seating concept, and won the 2019 Visionary Concepts category with the Peacock Suite, a way for airlines to quickly reconfigure their first-class cabins.
Butterfly has also applied its aerospace work to create Butterfly Motorcoach, a seating system already in use with luxury bus operators, professional sports teams, and premium charter networks across North America.
Back to the studio’s work in the rail industry, its Butterfly seating system introduces three-in-one functionality. With a simple pull of a lever, each seat pair can be converted from two upright recliners to become a private lounge or a fully flat 78in-long bed. The transformation is made possible by a manual flip-over mechanism, originally developed for use in air and applied to the Butterfly Motorcoach seats.
The seating platform is space efficient, with a modular layout and passenger comfort features that make it well-suited for long-haul routes like Tshiuetin’s 12-hour journey through northern Quebec and Labrador. For operators, it eliminates the need for fixed layouts, allowing them to plan their fleet more dynamically based on actual route demand.
The Butterfly Rail seating contract is part of a full train refurbishment programme led by Canadian Railway Services (CRWS) for Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. The railway connects Schefferville to Sept-Îles, Quebec, which is a 12-hour route through remote territory that provides a key service for delivering food, fuel, and people to the Innu, Naskapi, and Cree communities.
The project, backed by the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is designed to blend passenger comfort, cultural sensitivity, and inclusive design, with partners including Rail GD inc. and Morelli Design Transport.
“This debut shows how adaptable design can meet real community needs,” said Lars Rinne, CEO of Butterfly. “It’s fast to install, simple to use, and adds measurable value for both passengers and operators. We’re honoured to be part of such a meaningful project.”
