privécompartiment

Privécompartiment is a private, enclosed seating area within a passenger carriage or similar transport that accommodates a small group of travellers. It is built as a separate room with a door opening onto a corridor, providing privacy, security, and a more intimate seating arrangement than a shared aisle car. Inside, the space typically includes seats along the walls, and may feature a table, windows, and sometimes sleeping berths or a washbasin in sleeper services. Access is generally controlled by a door and, in older services, by a ticket or key, reinforcing privacy. The term is sometimes written as privé compartiment or translated as private compartment.

Historically, private compartments were common on long-distance and night trains in Europe and other regions during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They allowed travelers to travel with a small party or family without exposing the interior to other passengers. Over time many railways migrated toward open-plan seating, but private compartments persist on some luxury, historic, or sleeper services, where they are marketed as a private compartment or a suite with enhanced amenities.

In some contexts, similar enclosures exist on ships and in premium buses or private rail cars, but the term is most closely associated with rail travel. The concept emphasizes personal space within shared transport, contrasting with open seating or couchettes.

Etymology: From French privé (private) and compartiment (compartment).