Bombardier Talent 3

While the Talent 2 was a completely new development and not based on the first generation, the Talent 3 is only a further development of the Talent 2. In contrast to its predecessor, the third generation was not only intended for use in Germany, but could be configured with a variety of options for use in several European countries.

The electrical equipment could be ordered for a choice of both AC systems common in Europe and both DC systems. Although the ordered trains were all certified for 160 km/h, a maximum speed of 200 km/h could also be ordered. The trains could not only be ordered in a three- and a six-car variant, adaptations to different platform heights were also available.

Due to delays in certification and delivery, Bombardier lost a number of orders and other potential customers. An ÖBB tender for 300 trains fell through and instead only a few units of the multiple units designated as class 4758 were accepted. The South Tyrolean transport structures STA also replaced the non-certified Talent 3 with Alstom Coradia Stream. In Germany, some examples were sold to vlexx, SWEG and Abellio, all of which were given the Talent 2 design.

Six of the 21 vlexx trains have been converted into battery multiple units that can be charged via the overhead line and can therefore cover non-electrified sections of the route. Bombardier presented a variant in 2018 that was factory-made as a battery multiple unit. It could travel up to 40 km without a catenary and was even supposed to cover 100 km later in production variant. By the beginning of 2022, only the first trial operation had taken place in southern Germany.

After Alstom bought Bombardier's rail vehicle division, the plant in Hennigsdorf, where the Talent 3 was manufactured, had to be sold for antitrust reasons. The design of the trains was sold to the Spanish CAF. Alstom then announced that it would process the last open orders at its plant in Bautzen. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from the development of battery railcars is now primarily used for their own products.