The night line
A mechanical destination board turns a practical selection into a small moment of departure.

Choose a destination
Subframe Original · MIT
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Component source
Standalone React component. Styles are included.
React only. No additional packages.
Render the default export inside a container with a defined height. Its optional active prop stops movement when false. This example works with React 19; Next.js projects can use it as a client component.
View source code
/**
* MIT License
*
* Copyright (c) 2026 Subframe
*
* Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
* of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
* in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
* to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
* copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
* furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
*
* The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
* copies or substantial portions of the Software.
*
* THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
* IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
* FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
* AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
* LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
* OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
* SOFTWARE.
*/
"use client"
import { useEffect, useState } from "react"
function useReducedMotion() {
const [reduced, setReduced] = useState(true)
useEffect(() => {
const query = window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)")
const update = () => setReduced(query.matches)
update()
query.addEventListener("change", update)
return () => query.removeEventListener("change", update)
}, [])
return reduced
}
const services = [
{ city: "BERLIN", code: "BER", time: "22:48", platform: "04", note: "NIGHT SERVICE", distance: "878 KM" },
{ city: "VIENNA", code: "VIE", time: "23:12", platform: "07", note: "SLEEPER SERVICE", distance: "1,106 KM" },
{ city: "PRAGUE", code: "PRG", time: "23:40", platform: "02", note: "NIGHT SERVICE", distance: "973 KM" },
]
export default function DepartureBoard({ active = true }: { active?: boolean }) {
const reduced = useReducedMotion()
const [selection, setSelection] = useState({ index: 0, previous: 0, sequence: 0, animate: false })
const service = services[selection.index]
const previous = services[selection.previous]
const animate = selection.animate && !reduced
return (
<section className="sf-departures" data-active={active} data-animate={animate}>
<header className="sf-departures-header">
<span className="sf-departures-mark" aria-hidden="true">
↗
</span>
<div>
THE NIGHT LINE<small>GO FURTHER. WAKE UP ELSEWHERE.</small>
</div>
<span className="sf-departures-time">
{service.time}
<small>DEPARTURE</small>
</span>
</header>
<div className="sf-departures-caption">
<span>DESTINATION</span>
<span>PLATFORM {service.platform}</span>
</div>
<div className="sf-departures-display" key={selection.sequence} aria-hidden="true">
{service.city.split("").map((character, index) => (
<span className="sf-departures-cell" key={index} style={{ animationDelay: `${index * 45}ms` }}>
<span className="sf-departures-static">{character}</span>
{animate && (
<span className="sf-departures-leaf" style={{ animationDelay: `${index * 45}ms` }}>
<span className="sf-departures-front">{previous.city[index]}</span>
<span className="sf-departures-back">{character}</span>
</span>
)}
<span className="sf-departures-seam" />
</span>
))}
</div>
<div className="sf-departures-meta" aria-live="polite">
<span>
{service.city} · {service.note}
</span>
<span>{service.distance}</span>
</div>
<nav aria-label="Choose a departure" className="sf-departures-controls">
{services.map((item, index) => (
<button
type="button"
key={item.code}
aria-pressed={index === selection.index}
onClick={(event) =>
setSelection((current) => ({
index,
previous: current.index,
sequence: current.sequence + 1,
animate: active && event.detail > 0 && index !== current.index,
}))
}
>
{item.code}
<span aria-hidden="true">{index === selection.index ? "↗" : "·"}</span>
</button>
))}
</nav>
<style>{`
.sf-departures{width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background:#091622;color:#f5f1e5;padding:28px 28px 22px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;container-type:inline-size}.sf-departures *{box-sizing:border-box}
.sf-departures-header{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;font-size:15px;font-weight:750;letter-spacing:-.025em}.sf-departures-header small{display:block;font:8px/1.5 ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,monospace;letter-spacing:.07em;margin-top:4px;color:#b1bbc1}.sf-departures-mark{background:#ff7d28;color:#091622;width:37px;height:37px;display:grid;place-items:center;font-size:34px;line-height:1}.sf-departures-time{margin-left:auto;text-align:right;font-size:22px;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}
.sf-departures-caption,.sf-departures-meta{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;font:9px/1.4 ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,monospace;letter-spacing:.07em}.sf-departures-caption{margin:29px 0 9px;color:#b1bbc1}.sf-departures-meta{margin-top:12px;color:#b1bbc1;gap:10px}.sf-departures-meta span:first-child{color:#ff9a56}
.sf-departures-display{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(6,minmax(0,1fr));gap:5px}.sf-departures-cell{position:relative;isolation:isolate;height:88px;perspective:500px;background:#162838;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #ffffff12,0 3px 0 #050d14;font-size:clamp(32px,11cqw,66px);line-height:88px;text-align:center;font-weight:750;letter-spacing:-.06em}.sf-departures-static{display:block;background:linear-gradient(180deg,#ffffff04 0 50%,#00000012 50%)}
.sf-departures-leaf{position:absolute;inset:0;transform-style:preserve-3d;animation:sf-departures-turn 440ms cubic-bezier(.4,0,.2,1) both;transform-origin:center}.sf-departures-front,.sf-departures-back{position:absolute;inset:0;backface-visibility:hidden;background:#162838;border-radius:3px}.sf-departures-back{transform:rotateX(180deg);background:#203243}.sf-departures-seam{position:absolute;top:50%;height:2px;left:0;right:0;background:#050d14;z-index:3;box-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff08;pointer-events:none}
.sf-departures-controls{display:flex;gap:8px;margin-top:25px}.sf-departures button{background:none;color:#b1bbc1;border:1px solid #344553;min-height:40px;flex:1;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;padding:0 12px;cursor:pointer;font:11px ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,monospace}.sf-departures button[aria-pressed=true]{background:#ff7d28;border-color:#ff7d28;color:#071522}.sf-departures button:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #f5f1e5;outline-offset:3px}.sf-departures button:active{opacity:.75}.sf-departures[data-active=false] *{animation-play-state:paused!important}
@keyframes sf-departures-turn{from{transform:rotateX(0)}to{transform:rotateX(-180deg)}}
@container(max-width:350px){.sf-departures-cell{height:70px;line-height:70px}.sf-departures-header{font-size:12px}.sf-departures-header small{font-size:7px}.sf-departures-caption{margin-top:24px}.sf-departures-meta{font-size:8px}.sf-departures-controls{margin-top:22px}}
@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.sf-departures-leaf{display:none}.sf-departures *{animation:none!important}}
`}</style>
</section>
)
}
Where it works well
Give travel, event schedules or destination choices a tactile identity while keeping the selected information readable.
Reduced motion
The destination updates immediately without rotation. Keyboard selections are also immediate.
Things to know
A stylized single hinged tile turn, not an alphabet-by-alphabet physical simulation. Departure times and distances are fictional demonstration content.