Western train makers fight back with high-tech interiors

RAIL COMFORT: France's Alstom, maker of the high-speed TGV, has a prototype of new seats for long-distance trains, with headphones embedded in the headrest and a table converted into a multimedia tablet.

BERLIN: Trains are likely to become more like long-haul planes, with customised carriages and tablets embedded into high-tech seats, as Western manufacturers fight back against cheaper Chinese rivals and Europe's railways open up to greater competition. 

Europe's rail passengers may feel their comfort has long been overlooked by an industry still largely in the hands of cash-strapped governments and struggling to compete with low-cost airlines as well as coaches and cars.