It comes in a number of variants, including high-floor, low-floor, diesel-mechanical, diesel-hydraulic, diesel-electric, electric, and tilting, and in lengths of two, three, or four carriages.

Classified as heavy rail according to UIC standards, the Talent is a two-, three- or four-part articulated railcar with Jacobs bogies.

The sharing of bogies also means that a Talent unit cannot be easily disassembled or rearranged without the assistance of a railway yard.

The endsections have a raised floor in all variants, because the traction equipment installed underneath requires more space than unpowered bogies.

Although it is still legally classified as a main-line railway, Transport Canada allow the O-Train Trillium Line to use One-Person Train Operation, with fares collected through a proof-of-payment system.