May 29, 2014

VIA RAIL CANADA UNVEILS NEW PRESTIGE CLASS FOR THE CANADIAN PLUS NEW BUSINESS CARS

Highly anticipated new Prestige Class shown to travel industry for the first time

Montréal, May 29, 2014– VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) unveiled, for the first time yesterday, the full range of new train car equipment that is part of the government’s $1 billion investment in new infrastructure. The event took place at Rendez-vous Canada in Vancouver, the country’s definitive travel industry event. The equipment and renovations, an investment that underscores the importance of rail travel in Canada and re-affirms VIA Rail as one of the finest national rail services in the world. The cars shown last night to over 1,000 members of the North American and international travel industry include the Canadian’s new Prestige Class Sleeper; new and renovated cars including Dining, Manor, Château, Park, Skyline and Economy; and the recently inaugurated Business Class cars used on the popular Corridor route between Québec City and Windsor.

The Prestige Sleeper Class provides an exciting new level of comfort and service for travellers on the Canadian, one of the world's greatest train journeys. Highlights of Prestige Class include: personalized dedicated service by the Prestige Concierge; a spacious cabin (50% larger than the current cabin for two in Sleeper Plus class); large windows (60% larger than the window in the Sleeper Plus cabin for two); private washroom with shower; flat-screen monitor with video selection; minibar stocked with (passengers’) choice of beverages and more.

Photo 1 – The Canadian’s upcoming new Prestige Class, ready for a restful sleep

Photo 2 – The Canadian’s upcoming new Prestige Class, set-up for daytime

Photo 3 – Spacious new Business Class cars on the Corridor line between Quebec – Windsor

*Hi-res images are available upon request

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) and its 2,713 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years, and is recipient of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. Follow the progress of our transformation at viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/capital-investment.