The second production vehicle from the LIREX family is the Coradia Continental, which was developed directly from the Coradia Nordic and is intended for use in Central Europe. Like the predecessor, these trains are also built in Salzgitter in the former Linke-Hoffmann-Busch works. These trains can be recognized visually by the straight side walls, which were necessary due to the narrower loading gauge in Central Europe compared to Sweden. The end cars were initially available in two different lengths, with the longer version having an additional crumple zone. This original head shape earned the trains the nickname “Pug Face”. Since the new crash standards came into force, a head shape with a different design has been manufactured and the trains have since been classified as the class 1440.
As with the predecessors, almost all of the propulsion technology, apart from the traction motors, is on the roof. While the transformers and power converters can be found on the end cars, the pantographs and various auxiliary units are on the intermediate cars. Three-, four- and five-car trains are available, in which three or four bogies are powered with 250 kW continuous power per axle. In the four-car classes 440.0 and 440.1, four of the five bogies are powered, and in the five-car 440.2, four of the six bogies are powered. The classes 440.3 and 440.4 are available as three-car sets, in which three and all of the four bogies are powered, respectively. The same applies to the variants of the class 1440, except that there is no 1440.4.
As with many modern new acquisitions, there were many teething problems, software problems and delivery delays in the early stages. Up until 2017, the Coradia Continental was conspicuous by excessive signs of wear affecting the traction motors and wheelsets. A total of 380 trains had been ordered by mid-2020, most of them from DB Regio. There they are used in the S-Bahn networks of Rhine-Ruhr, Nuremberg and in Breisgau, as well as in various other regions as regional express or regional trains. Other operators are NordWestBahn, agilis, Metronom, Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen and Hessische Landesbahn.
