Amtrak makes a $435 luxury bag out of old leather train seats

All aboard! The sustainability train is leaving the station.

Amtrak is teaming up with the People for Urban Progress, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that specializes in developing recycled products, to upcycle 6,080 leather seat covers from 20 retired Acela Express train cars into something, well, more handy: first-class bags.

Approximately 2,500 units are on the fast track to production — and will be dropped in small quantities over the next year.

The collab’s second batch, which launched Monday, includes the “Conductor” weekender ($435), “Agent” backpack ($385), “Passenger” tote ($185) and “Dispatcher” dopp kit ($75).

Each of the slate-blue leather creations is unique, featuring the former seats’ small holes, inconsistencies and stains.

This transformative project comes after Amtrak began updating its train’s interiors on the Boston-to-Washington, DC, line this summer.

The high-speed collections are an effort by both companies to stop quality infrastructure from being dumped into landfills.

“This is an exciting opportunity to showcase the work we do to remake waste and create change through the creation of our products,” says Andrea Cowley, executive director of People for Urban Progress.

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