With Panarooma, Bucher Group and zweigrad Design, together with industry partners Siemens Mobility, Lantal, and Probatec, present a new vision for the future of rail travel.
Panarooma transforms the train restaurant of tomorrow into a personal experience space. The project combines AI, automation, and design to create a new, immersive travel experience. Panarooma will celebrate its world premiere at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin.
Why do people love their cars? Because they give them the feeling of shaping every journey according to their own individual needs. Together with its renowned industry partners, Bucher Group and zweigrad Design bring exactly this principle to the railway. Panarooma is the vision of a train restaurant that puts people at its center: AI, automation, premium interior design, and exploratory user interfaces come together to create a personalized experience that elevates every journey.
From the moment passengers book their trip, they are welcomed by a wide range of options. Inside the double-decker train restaurant, they can choose between different experience zones designed for work, relaxation, dining, or social interaction. The visionary concept also includes carefully choreographed moments – for example, when a glowing meal bowl appears to rise effortlessly from the table, turning the act of serving into a small ritual. Bucher Group and zweigrad Design, together with their railway industry partners, will unveil Panarooma for the first time in September 2026 at InnoTrans in Berlin.
Inspired by the Premium Automotive Experience
“For a long time, rail travel has mainly competed on speed and price. We believe the real differentiator is the quality of the travel experience. That’s why we designed the train restaurant of the future entirely around people. If train journeys genuinely inspire passengers, they will be much more willing to leave their cars behind.”
Birte Jürgensen, Founder and Managing Director, zweigrad Design
Three Building Blocks for the Train Restaurant of the Future
A Fully Automated Restaurant: A fully automated, two-level galley prepares meals behind the scenes. Through an integrated rail-based delivery system (“Food Lanes”) or autonomous service robots, specially developed MealPods are delivered directly to each passenger’s seat. Automation also takes over logistical tasks such as waste collection and disposal.
Flexible Experience Spaces: Because people travel differently, the Panarooma carriage offers a variety of environments: exclusive private booths, seats at the panoramic bar, and ergonomic workspaces equipped with Active Noise Control and switchable privacy screens. Every passenger decides how they want to spend their journey.
Personalization Through Invisible AI: The travel experience is personalized from the moment passengers check in. Individual preferences accompany them throughout the journey. Personal information is displayed either on passengers’ own devices or directly on intelligent furniture interfaces inside the train—for example, meal recommendations that take dietary restrictions and food intolerances into account. A “Need Dot,” available throughout the carriage, can be activated with a simple touch to interact with the AI at any time.
Fluid Design Meets Technical Feasibility
Panarooma combines technological innovation with a calm, premium design language. Hexagonal structures inspired by honeycombs and snowflakes, warm wood finishes, copper accents, and translucent materials create an atmosphere that feels closer to a luxury residential or automotive interior than to a traditional dining car.
Inside the double-decker carriage, integrated display films transform the translucent stairways into interactive waterfalls accompanied by subtle natural soundscapes, making even the walk to the upper deck part of the travel experience.
Despite its visionary character, Panarooma was developed within real-world technical constraints. The design fully complies with railway loading gauge requirements and is completely tunnel-compatible. At the same time, the automation of both kitchen and service operations significantly reduces staffing needs: a single person at reception is enough to welcome passengers and focus on genuine hospitality and individual needs.
Reducing Staff Workload While Enhancing the Guest Experience
“For us, Panarooma is the natural evolution of what we have been driving in onboard catering for years: intelligent kitchen technology and self-service solutions that reduce the workload for staff while still delivering a premium, personal guest experience. Together with our partners, we demonstrate how automation and hospitality can be meaningfully combined on the rails.”
Beat Burlet, CEO, Bucher Group
World Premiere at InnoTrans 2026 at the Bucher Group Booth
The centerpiece of the presentation will be showcased at the Bucher Group booth 490 in Hall 1.1 – where Bucher Group and zweigrad Design will exhibit a 65-centimeter precision 3D model of Panarooma, manufactured by Siemens. The display will be complemented by interior renderings and animated visualizations of the Japanese-inspired dining experience. Visitors will also be able to explore the train restaurant of the future through an immersive story app developed by zweigrad Design, offering a holistic experience of the Panarooma concept.
