VIA Rail has unveiled a special exterior design for one of its new Québec City-Windsor corridor trains. Featuring VIA Rail’s classic monochrome yellow while keeping the signature linear lines of the new trains, the new look will mark Lumi, the unique train of its new Corridor fleet.

Short for luminosity, Lumi will be in service by the end of August with a complete replacement of all trains on the corridor expected by summer 20254.

Just like our other new trains, a series of tests need to be performed before going into service: Lumi’s tests will start within the next couple of days between Ottawa and Montréal/

Beside the sleek, new look, the new Corridor fleet will feature redesigned ergonomic seats, large adjustable tray tables, large and fully accessible washrooms.

“Lumi is another way to celebrate the arrival of our new fleet and to let even more people know that they can now enjoy an unparalleled onboard experience thanks to these new modern and state-of-the-art trains,” says Brigitte Dagnault, VIA Rail’s Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. “Simple and efficient, the monochrome yellow, our brand’s signature colour, is a bold brand play that will stand out in the Canadian landscape.”

VIA says Lumi will be the only new train with this unique exterior design, which “acts as a reminder of the beginning of a new era for passenger rail.”

It adds, “as others have done when introducing a new fleet, VIA Rail wanted to make a strong gesture by differentiating one of its trains with a special exterior design.”

VIA says that several design alternatives were considered with the goal of both a nod to the past and a look to the future, and in the end, “simplicity won” with the new design reminiscent of the design of the Turbo Train that ran between Montréal and Toronto until 1982.

“When people arrive at stations and see Lumi, we want them to feel proud and excited about the modernization of our trains,” says Dagnault. “We would like the experience on board Lumi to stand out a bit, perhaps with a few surprises for our passengers. We are continuously focusing on offering an exceptional experience from reservation to destination, one that will become a core memory of our customers’ travels (and) Lumi is part of that vision.”