Bombardier Talent 3


Bombardier Talent 3 is the name of a family of railcars made by Bombardier Transportation. The Talent built in the third generation was built in 1996 in the first generation by the Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen, Germany. In contrast to the Bombardier Talent 2, the multiple unit is not a new development, but a further development of Talent 2, to which Talent 3 is visually similar. In contrast to the second generation, the Talent 3 complies not only with German but also with European standards.
The first unit is planned to enter service in 2019.

Service history

Bombardier introduced the Talent 3 at the InnoTrans trade show in September 2016. That month, Austrian Federal Railways announced a preliminary agreement to purchase up to 300 trainsets. The agreement was formally signed, along with a firm order for the first 21 trainsets to be operated from a base in Vorarlberg, in December. In May 2017, ÖBB announced an order for an additional 25 trainsets for service in Tyrol and cross-border operation to Italy. Construction of the first Talent 3 units for ÖBB began in September 17, with deliveries scheduled to begin in April 2019. In ÖBB service, they are designated Class 4758.
In March 2017, German operator Vlexx ordered 21 Talent 3 trainsets for operation in the states of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, beginning in December 2019.

Design

The Talent 3 is based on the earlier Talent and Talent 2 designs, with a wider carbody, larger doors, and a lower floor to increase capacity and improve passenger flow at station stops. Depending on the intended service pattern, the Talent 3 can be specified with either a or top speed. Talent 3 trainsets can vary in length based on customer requirements—ÖBB ordered six-car sets with a passenger capacity of 300, while Vlexx ordered three-car sets that carry up to 160 passengers.
In September 2018 a prototype Talent 3 capable of lithium battery operation was unveiled.