The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) Governing Board approved what is to become the new look for Tri-Rail trains.

The agency is changing the “blue skies, white clouds, and palm trees” design for the first time since its first unveiling on Tri-Rail trains in 2001, according to SFRTA's news release.

“I am excited to announce that Tri-Rail trains will be refreshed with a new design that will modernize and bring new life to the trains,” said Raquel Regalado, SFRTA Governing Board chair. “We as a board felt collectively that this was the perfect time to revitalize Tri-Rail’s look with a fresh new wrap as we embark upon a new era with the system.”

The opportunity to change Tri-Rail’s train design was presented at the SFRTA’s February board meeting, where the agency was programming work to re-wrap the exterior of 12 locomotives and 49 passenger vehicles that were due for replacement.

With the impending expansion of service into MiamiCentral Station and several new efforts to improve the train service, the board said it was a great opportunity to give Tri-Rail trains a new design and requested for SFRTA’s executive director to present design options for their review.

Twelve of the system’s locomotives are undergoing an overhaul program to have new engines installed in the next two years, while passenger cars are going through a refresh project where restroom rehabilitation, seat repairs, and floor replacement are included in the work. 

Each board member provided input from several illustrations at the March board meeting and ultimately arrived at a consensus for Tri-Rail’s first makeover in over 20 years.

“The design was chosen to make it easy to overlay advertising opportunities that can help garner additional revenue for the agency,” said Regalado. “We expect it to be a hot commodity for vendors wanting to advertise in South Florida, as much as the service will be for the public when Tri-Rail trains are running in Downtown Miami.”

Tri-Rail’s original fleet of coaches was introduced in 1989 matching the green and white specifications of cars used by GO Transit in Canada, and it wasn’t until the year 2000 that the tropical design was created (unveiled in 2001) to identify the system with its own brand.

The new "On Track" design incorporates Tri-Rail’s logo colors and was created by SFRTA’s agency of record, Goodman Public Relations, with members of the team that helped create the "blue skies" design.