Dreamstar Lines

Jake Vollebregt and Thomas Eastmond founded Dreamstar Lines in Newport Beach, CA. By 2023, the company publicized plans for an overnight "hotel train" as an alternative to flying, reviving a service that had discontinued 55 years prior. In April 2024, Joshua Dominic assumed leadership of the project. That month, Dreamstar signed a memorandum of understanding with Union Pacific Railroad to operate trains on its right-of-way. Momentum accelerated in 2025. In March 2025, the company secured a strategic investment from real estate executive Bill Lyon, ensuring continued capital for the pre-operations phase. On November 13, 2024, BMW's Santa Monica-based Designworks entered contracts to draw up railcar design concepts. In November 2025, Dreamstar announced a joint venture with Zero-Emission Locomotive Technologies (ZELTECH) and HyOrc to develop and acquire Rankine-powered hybrid locomotives aimed at meeting California's strict emission standards. ==Service==

Overview Under Dreamstar's current proposal, two trains, one headed north and one headed south, would run every night, departing from each terminus at 10:00p.m. and arriving at their final destination the next day at 8:30a.m. This schedule is designed to maximize business days in both cities, similar to the red-eye travel used in commercial flying. The trains would have intermediate station stops and crew turnovers in San Jose, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, points near each end of the route. Dreamstar's trainsets would consist of restored historic bi-level cars heavily modernized with Art Deco-inspired interiors. Onboard amenities include two sleeping arrangements; private rooms with lie-flat beds and premium bedrooms; a lounge with open seating and bar, as well as breakfast delivery. In updated design documents released in 2025, Dreamstar confirmed plans to allow passenger to transport their personal automobiles on the train, an accommodation not dissimilar to Amtrak's Auto Train on the East Coast. Dreamstar is expected to commence service in 2028, ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The route includes planned intermediate stops at Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and San Jose Diridon. Dreamstar's service follows a similar route as Southern Pacific's Lark, which ran from 1910 to 1968, as well as Amtrak's short-lived early 1980s Spirit of California. ==See also==