Spirit of Invictus train launched to mark one-year countdown to Birmingham games
The Invictus Games arrive in Birmingham in 2027
A special train named the Spirit of Invictus has been unveiled to celebrate the courage and resilience of wounded, injured and sick service personnel.
The train is part of a one-year countdown until the Duke of Sussex’s multi-sports event takes place in Birmingham.
Presenter and former Invictus Games competitor JJ Chalmers, who revealed the train at London’s Euston Station, said he hopes it will help “empower” those taking part.
Chalmers, who was injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2011 while serving with the Royal Marines, said competing in the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014 had given him a valuable chance to “serve again”.
He said that when Harry, who did not attend the launch, approached him to be part of the games it was obvious it would help people with their physical, mental and social recoveries.
Chalmers added: “None of this matters if nobody sees it.
“Yes, it will change the lives of those who compete but actually we would want for those people to be empowered to change the lives of those who watch it.
“So we want people to come all across the world, certainly throughout this country, to come to the games in one year’s time and we would love them to be travelling on this.”
The train, wrapped in black and gold Invictus branding, will run for at least a year across the London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway networks, on routes that may take visitors to the games.
The name was picked after a public competition.
Jonny Wiseman, the customer experience and commercial director for London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, said the Invictus Games 2027 in Birmingham will be a “hugely significant moment for both the city and the country”.
He hoped the eye-catching train will inspire customers to learn more about the Invictus Movement, adding: “With more than a million passengers using our services every week, this distinctive train will fast become a feature of the railway in the lead-up to the Birmingham Invictus Games and beyond.”
Helen D’Oyley, chief growth officer at the Invictus Games Foundation, hoped the train would help spark curiosity wherever it travels.
She said: “Every day, thousands of people will see this train, travel on it, or pass it in stations across the London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands network.
“Each journey is another opportunity to spark curiosity and start conversations about the incredible resilience of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans”.
Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 chief executive Helen Helliwell added: “Birmingham is the destination for many from across the UK and our allies, with countless wounded, injured and sick service personnel beginning their recovery journey here.”
She said the Spirit of Invictus would help take people to the NEC Birmingham, which will “proudly host” the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027.