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VIA Rail helps Canadians get back on track to sleep

11/2/2026

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Logo cossette
by Cossette

With Tracks to Relax, VIA Rail transforms the real sounds of its trains into an audio experience designed for rest.

Sleep can be more difficult in November, as reduced daylight and the time change disrupt the body’s internal clock. According to Le Devoir (2026), more than 67% of Canadians say the time change disrupts their sleep routines, and that it takes them several days to return to a normal rhythm.

To help Canadians get back on track to sleep, VIA Rail is launching Tracks to Relax, a series of audio tracks created from real sounds captured aboard its moving trains across various VIA Rail routes. Each track runs for the full length of the train ride it features.

“Canadians already turn to meditation apps and white noise. And among the sounds associated with sleep is the reassuring rhythm of trains. In an era of artificial intelligence and synthetic audio content, nothing replaces the authenticity of the real thing. For us, it was a natural opportunity. Who better than VIA Rail to offer Canadians this experience and help them find their rhythm again?”
Michel Alex Lessard 1
Michel-Alexandre Lessard, Senior Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer, Quebec and Eastern Canada at Cossette

Launched on November 1, as sleep and the debate around the time change return to the headlines, the initiative will be supported across VIA Rail’s social platforms and on relevant streaming platforms.

“At VIA Rail, we believe that the journey begins long before boarding and continues well beyond arrival. With Tracks to Relax, we are making an element at the heart of the VIA Rail experience, the calming rhythm of the rails, available to everyone, free of charge. It is our simple way of responding to a very real need among Canadians by offering a moment of comfort and respite, even when they are not on board.”
Philippe Normand VIA
Philippe Normand, Vice-President, Communications and Marketing

The first track is now available on VIA Rail’s YouTube channel. The full playlist will follow over the coming week on YouTube.

Credits

Advertiser: VIA Rail Canada Clients: Philippe Normand, Vanessa Zieman, Lise Arsenault Agency: Cossette Creative: Anne-Claude Chénier, Alexandre Jutras, Philippe Brassard, Gilles Legault, Antoine Dasseville Strategy: Michel-Alex Lessard, Robyn Hutman, Nathan Pillot Product: Mathilde Acosta, Nafissatou Diallo Production agency: Septième, Catherine Karassavidis Sound House: Parade Sound engineer: Pierre-Olivier Rioux Coordinator: Rachel Tremblay Saint-Yves