Key takeaways
- Alstom sells platforms, not individual vehicles. Coradia, Avelia, Citadis, Metropolis and Prima together cover almost the entire market.
- Bombardier Transportation has been part of it since 2021. TRAXX, TALENT and FLEXITY now come from the same group.
- The LINT number is the length. LINT 27, 41, 54 and 81 differ mainly in metres and body sections.
- The vehicle never says Alstom. Lettering follows the transport authority; the manufacturer appears at most in small print on the works plate.
- The iLINT is the most distinctive body style. Fuel cells and hydrogen tanks sit visibly on the roof.
Contents
- 1.Fact file
- 2.Business areas
- 3.Structure & brands
- 4.History at a glance
- 5.How to recognise the company
- 6.Strengths and weaknesses
- 7.From electrical group to pure rail manufacturer
- 8.Five names that cover almost everything
- 9.What the Bombardier takeover changed for sighting logs
- 10.A French group with German manufacturing
- 11.How to tell the Coradia variants apart on the platform
- 12.Where the trip pays off
- 13.Conclusion
- 14.Frequently asked questions
Fact file
| Role in the industry | Global group with the broadest product range in Europe |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | France, with major plants in Germany |
| Origin | Founded 1928 as Alsthom from the merger of two electrical engineering companies |
| 2015 turning point | Sale of the energy division – a pure rail company ever since |
| 2021 turning point | Takeover of Bombardier Transportation, including TRAXX, TALENT and FLEXITY |
| Product families | Coradia, Avelia, Citadis, Metropolis, Prima – plus the Bombardier inheritance |
| German plants | including Salzgitter, Hennigsdorf, Bautzen, Görlitz and Kassel |
| How to identify it in the field | Platform name and carriage articulation, not the lettering on the vehicle |
| Official website | www.alstom.com/alstom-germany |
Business areas
Structure & brands
History at a glance
How to recognise Alstom
Does the train really belong to Alstom?
- Platform name instead of manufacturer name – the vehicle carries the transport authority's branding, the type is hidden in the class designation
- LINT logic – the number in the name roughly matches the vehicle length in metres, from LINT 27 to LINT 81
- Jacobs bogie – Coradia articulated railcars share one bogie between two body sections
- Flat, wide windscreen – typical of the LINT generations, without the flared side panels of the TALENT 2
- Roof-mounted equipment – on the iLINT, fuel cells and hydrogen tanks sit visibly on the roof
- Works plates – builder's plates name Alstom, Bombardier, LHB or AEG depending on the year built
Strengths and weaknesses
What the company stands for
- Present at almost every German regional station – sightings are possible without any planning
- The platform logic can be learned once and then applied to dozens of classes
- A wide range from hybrid shunter to high-speed train sits in the same portfolio
- Hydrogen and battery vehicles are visually unmistakable and therefore rewarding subjects
- Many vehicles run right across Europe, which allows comparison shots across national borders
Where it falls short
- The manufacturer's name practically never appears on the vehicle – identification always runs through the type
- After the Bombardier takeover, older sources are contradictory about the manufacturer
- Many platforms look very similar to each other, especially in regional service
- Transport-authority liveries reliably cover up any family resemblance
- There is no reliable public source for unit numbers or plant workloads
Updated: August 2026 – On any random German branch line, chances are good that the railcar at the platform comes from a single manufacturer. Alstom supplies so many regional vehicles in Germany that the question is less “is that an Alstom?” than “which platform is that?”. The vehicle itself won’t help you there – it carries the transport authority’s branding. The answer lies in the body style.
Collect railcar families systematically
Class, number and location logged in one go – that's how your collection grows on its own.
From electrical group to pure rail manufacturer
Alstom was founded in 1928 not as a vehicle builder, but as an electrical engineering group. Turbines, generators and rail vehicles sat side by side for decades. Only in 2015, with the sale of the energy division, did it become a company doing nothing but rail transport.
The second and, for spotters, more important turning point came in 2021: with Bombardier Transportation, entire vehicle families moved into the same group. Since then, Alstom in Europe occupies the space where two suppliers previously stood – and older sources contradict each other, because the same vehicle gets attributed to a different manufacturer depending on when a text was published.
Five names that cover almost everything
Alstom doesn’t sell individual vehicles, but platforms. Each carries a family name, and every order is a variant of it. Anyone who knows the five names can place almost any vehicle before even looking up the class.
| Family | Field of use | Typical feature | In Germany |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coradia | Regional service | Articulated railcars with Jacobs bogies | very common, as LINT and Continental |
| Avelia | High speed | Power-car or tilting-technology trains | not in scheduled service |
| Citadis | Trams | Continuous low-floor deck | rare |
| Metropolis | Metro | Driverless operation possible | barely represented |
| Prima | Locomotives | Modular construction, also as hybrid shunter | as Prima H3 in shunting service |
The French TGV belongs in the Avelia line, as do the Pendolino-type tilting trains – for instance the Czech Class ČD 680. In everyday German life, though, you’ll practically only encounter Coradia, plus the Prima H3 as a three-axle hybrid shunter.
The LINT number is the length
LINT 27, LINT 41, LINT 54, LINT 81 – the number roughly matches the vehicle length in metres. A LINT 41 has two sections with a shared bogie in the middle, a LINT 54 is the stretched version. That lets you tell the subtypes apart without looking anything up, as soon as you count body sections and bogies.
What the Bombardier takeover changed for sighting logs
Nothing has changed on the vehicle. In the logs, though, plenty has: a TRAXX from 2010 was built by Bombardier, while an identical machine from more recent production carries Alstom as its manufacturer. Both statements are correct, and both lead to contradictions if you copy them into a collection unchecked.
The clean way to handle this is simple: the sighting log records the vehicle number, not the group name. Numbers survive mergers. How the twelve-digit number is built is explained in the guide to the UIC number.
Note the class, not the manufacturer's name
With the Traintrack app you record what doesn't change – even after the next merger.
A French group with German manufacturing
The company headquarters is near Paris, but a substantial part of the manufacturing is not. Salzgitter is the site the LINT family comes from – Linke-Hofmann-Busch was based there previously, and the continuity reaches back into the railbus era. Bautzen and Görlitz joined via the Bombardier takeover and traditionally stand for trams and double-deck carriages respectively. Hennigsdorf near Berlin is one of the oldest electric locomotive sites in Germany altogether.
For spotters that explains an otherwise confusing detail: works plates on vehicles from the same family can name Alstom, Bombardier, ADtranz, AEG or LHB, depending on the year built. These aren’t different vehicles, just different owners of the same plant. Which class is currently being built in which hall changes with the order book and isn’t reliably documented publicly – so plant details from forums shouldn’t be copied into a collection unchecked.
The depth of manufacturing becomes visible during delivery runs. New vehicles run as special trains or are hauled to the transport authority behind a foreign locomotive, often without lettering and with paper signs in the windows. Such runs are hard to plan for, but documentarily valuable – the strategy for that is described in Catching rare vehicles.
How to tell the Coradia variants apart on the platform
Determine the drive type
A pantograph on the roof means Continental, an exhaust system and engine noise mean LINT. Large tanks and blocks on the roof point to the iLINT.
Count the body sections
One section, two sections or three sections already narrow down the subtype considerably.
Count the bogies
Fewer bogies than body sections means an articulated railcar with a Jacobs bogie – a core feature of the Coradia family.
Compare the front end
The flat, wide LINT front clearly differs from the flared side panels of the TALENT 2 from the Bombardier inheritance.
Read off the number and classify it
Only the class makes the entry unambiguous. The system behind it is set out in the guide to identifying classes.
Is your eye enough for the platform?
The bogie count carries the most weight – it separates articulated railcars from conventional body styles.
Where the trip pays off
You can expect a good haul …
- at regional hubs with several non-electrified lines
- at operators who have ordered almost their entire fleet from one family
- at workshop sites where vehicles from several transport authorities stand side by side
It gets harder …
- when transport-authority liveries cover up any family resemblance
- with vehicles that have switched between operators
- with classes whose manufacturer is given differently across sources
You've barely any chance …
- with Metropolis vehicles, which are barely found in Germany
- with Avelia high-speed trains without a trip to France
- in pure freight service, where other platforms dominate
If you want to see the family in everyday life, you don’t need to plan a trip: operators such as erixx, NordWestBahn and the Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser deploy LINT vehicles on a large scale. For high-speed technology, on the other hand, the route leads abroad, for instance to Paris Gare de Lyon.
Hydrogen technology is no reason to get close
Fuel-cell vehicles and their refuelling facilities almost always sit on operational railway land. These areas are not publicly accessible, not even for a better shot of the roof-mounted equipment. What applies is set out in the article on house rules at stations; the distances at the track are explained by Safety distance at the track.
Conclusion
Alstom is the manufacturer you encounter most often without noticing it. The name appears nowhere, but the platform does – and it can be read off from body sections, bogies and roof-mounted equipment. Anyone who works through these three points correctly identifies most German regional vehicles.
The downside is the blurring since the Bombardier takeover. Manufacturer details in older sources are no longer a reliable anchor. The vehicle number remains reliable – it survives every group reorganisation.
In brief
Alstom supplies almost the entire market spectrum under five family names. Identify by platform, log by vehicle number – the group name is the least stable piece of information of all.
Complete your Coradia collection
LINT 27 through LINT 81, Continental and iLINT – keep track of what's still missing.
Summary
- Anyone identifying Alstom vehicles works through platform names and carriage articulation – the group name is no help in the field.
- The Bombardier takeover has retroactively shifted the manufacturer attribution of older classes, without anything changing on the vehicle itself.
- In German regional service the Coradia family is so widespread that almost every branch line shows an example.
- For the sighting log, what counts is the class, not the transport authority's brand name – only that keeps the entry usable later.
Frequently asked questions
Which vehicles does Alstom build in Germany?
Mainly regional multiple units and locomotives. The plant in Salzgitter produces the LINT railcars, which run on almost every German branch line. Added to that are electric multiple units of the Coradia Continental family and shunting locomotives such as the Prima H3. After the Bombardier takeover, the East German plants belong to the group too.
What does the number after LINT mean?
It roughly indicates the vehicle length in metres. A LINT 27 is a single-section short railcar, a LINT 41 has two body sections sharing a bogie in the middle, a LINT 54 is the stretched version of that, and a LINT 81 has three sections. Anyone who counts the body sections and estimates the length gets very far without a database.
Does TRAXX now belong to Alstom?
Yes. The TRAXX family comes from Bombardier Transportation and has been part of Alstom since 2021. Nothing changes on the vehicle – the locomotives still carry their keeper's lettering. For sighting logs it does mean, though, that older sources name Bombardier as the manufacturer, newer ones Alstom. Both are correct depending on the year built.
How do I recognise a Coradia Continental?
By the articulated construction: the body sections rest on shared Jacobs bogies, so there are fewer bogies than body sections. Added to that is a continuous, gently rising front without the flared side panels of the TALENT 2. How to systematically tell such railcar families apart is shown in the article Telling FLIRT, TALENT and Desiro apart.
What is the Coradia iLINT?
A regional multiple unit with fuel-cell drive. The iLINT entered passenger service in Lower Saxony in 2018 and was the world's first hydrogen train in scheduled operation. Visually you recognise it by the roof-mounted equipment: fuel cells and hydrogen tanks sit where a diesel railcar would only have a radiator and air conditioning.
Does Alstom also build trams?
Yes, under the name Citadis. These low-floor trams run in numerous European networks, though considerably less often in Germany than vehicles from other manufacturers. A well-documented example outside Germany is the Citadis trams in Rotterdam. The Bombardier inheritance additionally brings the FLEXITY family into the mix.
Is Alstom bigger than Siemens Mobility?
Both are among the major European suppliers, but they're positioned differently. After the Bombardier takeover, Alstom covers a broader vehicle spectrum, while Siemens Mobility is more strongly rooted in signalling and electrical engineering. We deliberately don't name reliable current revenue or order figures here – they change annually and are defined differently.
Why doesn't any train carry the Alstom name?
Because vehicles are lettered according to the transport authority, not the manufacturer. A railcar carries the logo of the transport association or operator, while the manufacturer appears only on a small works plate. Which level on the vehicle supplies which information is explained in the guide Who's actually running this train?
Where can I see a lot of Alstom vehicles at once?
At regional hubs with several diesel lines. Operators such as erixx and NordWestBahn deploy LINT vehicles on a large scale. For high-speed technology, on the other hand, you need to head to France – Paris Gare de Lyon is the classic TGV station.
How do I log a sighting when the manufacturer is unclear?
Via the vehicle number. It doesn't change when a group is bought or renamed. The manufacturer's name, by contrast, is only a snapshot of the ownership structure. How the twelve-digit number is built is explained in the guide to the UIC number; for building a lasting archive, Keeping a sighting log helps.
Log vehicles from Alstom
Company, vehicle, location and date logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
The operational level in the railway operator database
Who actually runs the trains, with keeper markings and identifying features on the vehicle.
erixx GmbH
erixx GmbH appears as a lower-case regional brand in local rail traffic. This page explains what an SPNV brand is and how to tell brand and company apart.
Local & regionalNordWestBahn GmbH
NordWestBahn GmbH is a railway operator in regional passenger services. A look at platform height explains why its trains have different boarding steps.
Local & regionalEisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser
One company, several divisions: the name names Eisenbahnen (railways) in the plural, plus Verkehrsbetriebe (transport operations). This page shows you how to tell the business lines apart in the field.
Local & regionalDB Regio AG
DB Regio is Deutsche Bahn's local rail division. The group organises regional services regionally – which is why the brand on the train and the keeper marking on the vehicle often don't match.
Local & regionalVIAS GmbH
VIAS GmbH is a German company in the local passenger environment. This page explains the naming and shows what christened names on multiple units mean.
Typical vehicles
Class 648 (Alstom Coradia LINT 41)
Class 648 is the two-part Coradia LINT 41 – one of Germany's most common diesel railcars. Here's how to identify it reliably and tell it apart from relatives.
ClassAlstom Coradia iLINT
The Coradia iLINT was the world's first hydrogen multiple unit in passenger service. Two-car, 140 km/h, a fuel cell instead of a diesel engine – and almost a LINT on the outside.
ClassClass 440 (Alstom Coradia Continental)
The Class 440 is the Alstom Coradia Continental: an electric regional multiple unit whose intermediate cars run under their own class. Here's how to recognise it confidently.
ClassAlstom Prima H3
The Prima H3 is a three-axle hybrid shunting locomotive from Alstom's Stendal plant: battery plus diesel generator, compact body, running as Class 1002 at DB.
ClassBombardier TRAXX
TRAXX isn't a single class but a platform: the same base locomotive in many variants. Here's how to decode the type designations and identify the family.
ClassTGV
The TGV is France's high-speed train: two power cars with a continuous articulated rake in between. Here's how to recognise the design and the individual families.
Where you will find Alstom
Spotting locations where you will regularly come across vehicles from this organisation – with viewpoints, the best light and coordinates.
Paris Gare de Lyon
Gare de Lyon is the gateway to the south: the high-speed lines to Lyon, Marseille and Italy all start here, and at peak times the board shows one departure after another. The price is a terminus station with tight walkways, controlled access and huge crowds.
Junction stationHamburg Hauptbahnhof
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof funnels the whole of Germany's north-south traffic, plus the route to Scandinavia, onto a handful of tracks. That makes it one of the most rewarding spots in the country – and one of the most uncomfortable. Plan around the crowding and you get a hit rate here that hardly any other station can match.
Junction stationFrankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
Twenty-four platform tracks side by side, plus two underground stations and over a thousand train movements a day: Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof is Germany's largest terminus station. Use the cross-platform properly and you can log half of German long-distance traffic here in two hours.
Junction stationKöln Hauptbahnhof
Few stations in Europe pack so much traffic into so little space: over 1,200 train movements a day, eleven platform tracks, and the Hohenzollern Bridge starting right behind the platform ends. Get Köln Hbf right, and you'll have more in the bag after two hours than elsewhere in a whole day.
More companies
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was for decades one of Europe's largest rolling stock manufacturers, with plants in Hennigsdorf, Görlitz and Bautzen. Since 2021 the company has been absorbed into Alstom. The product names TRAXX, Talent and Twindexx live on – the company name on the vehicle, however, is history.
ManufacturerSiemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility doesn't build individual vehicles, it builds platforms: a Vectron in Sweden and one in Slovenia are the same machine with different equipment. Anyone who understands the platform logic can recognise the vehicles even when the livery gives nothing away.
ManufacturerStadler Rail
Stadler Rail grew from a small workshop in Thurgau into one of Europe's defining vehicle builders. The product names FLIRT, KISS and GTW appear nowhere on the vehicle – yet you can still identify the matching designs from a great distance once you know what to look for.
State railwaySNCF
French vehicles carry a letter prefix ahead of the number, and it's no decoration: BB, CC, Z, X and B name the wheel arrangement and drive type. Add two electrification systems, six Parisian terminus stations, and long-distance services that are almost entirely brands.
Related guides from the blog
- FLIRT, Talent, Desiro & Co.: Telling Regional Multiple Units Apart
- Identifying Train Classes: How to Recognise Any Locomotive or Multiple Unit
- Who's Actually Running That Train? How to Identify Railway Operators
- Reading the UIC number: what the 12 digits on a vehicle reveal
- Keeping a Sighting Logbook: From Scraps of Paper to a Real Database
- ICE 1 to ICE 4: Telling Every ICE Class Apart with Confidence
