Key takeaways
- Mireo is the manufacturer family, 563 the German class designation – the same vehicle, two levels of naming.
- Mireo numbers spread across several blocks: 463 and 464, 1463 as well as 563, depending on length and traction.
- Fastest way to identify it: rounded, smooth nose shape plus Jacobs bogies between the car sections.
- The UIC type code 94 sits at the start of every twelve-digit number on an electric multiple unit.
- Risk of confusion exists mainly with the Stadler FLIRT and Alstom Coradia Continental – the nose shape tells them apart.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Electric multiple unit for regional and local services |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Siemens Mobility |
| Vehicle family | Mireo – Siemens's platform for regional multiple units |
| Construction | Multi-part articulated unit with Jacobs bogies between the car sections |
| UIC type code | 94 – electric multiple unit |
| Family class blocks | 463 and 464, 1463 as well as 563 – depending on length and traction variant |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Smooth, strongly rounded nose shape with a large, deeply drawn-down windscreen
- Jacobs bogies: only one bogie stands between two car sections
- Fully walk-through interior with wide concertina gangways
- Tidy roofscape; battery variants carry additional large containers
- Vehicle number begins with the UIC type code 94
- Two doors per side per car section, boarding at regional platform height
Updated: August 2026 – Modern regional multiple units all look similar at first glance: multi-part, low-floor, with big windows. Class 563 belongs to the Mireo family built by Siemens – and you can identify it reliably by the nose shape and by how the car sections are joined together. This page shows you what to look for and how to tell the Mireo apart cleanly.
Spotted a multiple unit? Note the running number.
On multiple units, the unit number is what the running number is on locomotives – log it straight away.
What is Class 563?
Class 563 is a German class designation for electric multiple units of the Siemens Mireo platform. The Mireo is Siemens Mobility’s answer to FLIRT, Talent and Coradia: a modular family of regional multiple units delivered in various lengths and traction variants.
Important to understanding this is the double layer of naming. Manufacturers market vehicle families under product names – FLIRT at Stadler Rail, Talent and Coradia at Alstom, Desiro and Mireo at Siemens, KISS for Stadler’s double-deck variant. The German numbering system doesn’t recognise these names, instead assigning class designations by vehicle variant. That’s why one and the same manufacturer family spreads across several blocks: you’ll find Mireo vehicles under 463 and 464, under 1463 and indeed under 563.
Above that sits the European level. Every twelve-digit vehicle number begins with the UIC type code, and for electric multiple units and railcars that is 94. Electric locomotives carry 91, diesel locomotives 92, high-speed trains 93, diesel railcars 95. Once you can decode the number, it tells you the vehicle type, country and keeper – the article on reading the UIC number on a vehicle explains every block of digits.
Field identification: three observations
Assess the nose shape
The Mireo has a smooth, softly rounded front with a large, deeply drawn-down windscreen. The transitions to the roof and side wall look flowing, not angular.
Count the bogies
If only one bogie stands between two car sections, you're looking at an articulated train with Jacobs bogies. Two bogies per transition mean a conventional carriage sequence.
Count car sections and doors
The number of car sections and doors per side narrows down the variant. Note both together with the running number – the design can later be reconstructed reliably from that.
Family first, then class
For multiple units, the quickest route is via the manufacturer family: you can identify Mireo, FLIRT, Talent or Coradia by the nose shape in a second. Read off the exact class designation afterwards, at leisure, from the side wall.
What the design reveals about the deployment
A multiple unit’s construction says more about its area of operation than any route list – and that list changes with every contract award anyway.
| Feature | What it means | Consequence for observation |
|---|---|---|
| Articulated train with Jacobs bogies | Short, light, good in curves | Typical for regional services, not long-distance trains |
| Two doors per car section and side | Fast passenger exchange | Stops at many stations, short dwell times |
| Boarding at regional platform height | Adapted to mixed platforms | Vehicles are ordered network-specifically |
| Multiple traction possible | Two or three units coupled | Train lengths change by time of day |
| Roof containers on battery variants | Traction battery on board | Deployment on partly electrified routes |
Operators and networks are changeable
Who runs the 563 and on which routes depends on service contracts with a limited term. After a new award, the same vehicles may keep running in different livery and under a different name – or the network may switch to a completely different vehicle family. Always check the current situation.
Current sightings instead of outdated lists
See directly which multiple units other spotters have just reported and where.
Photo tips for regional multiple units
Multiple units are photographically more demanding than locomotives: they’re long, uniform, and usually stand at the platform only briefly.
- Choose a three-quarter view. Around 30 to 45 degrees to the vehicle axis shows the nose shape and side wall at the same time – exactly the two surfaces you need for identification.
- Get the running number in the shot. Without it, the photo later is just a picture of “some Mireo or other”.
- Don’t stand too far away. A long articulated train looks flat from a great distance; a medium telephoto keeps the front and first car sections looking three-dimensional.
- Keep your distance. The platform edge and safety line are binding, the track area is off limits – even for a better angle.
The underlying technique – viewpoint, shutter speed, light – is covered in the guide to good photos of trains. Anyone who keeps their shots afterwards as a proper collection rather than folder chaos will find the right method in the article on the sighting logbook.
Bringing manufacturer families and class numbers together
The most common mistake with multiple units is assuming that a manufacturer family equals a class. That’s almost never the case. Manufacturers develop platforms, from which they configure different vehicles depending on the tender: more or fewer car sections, different boarding heights, different traction variants, different top speeds. Each of these configurations gets its own designation in the German system.
In practice that means: the product name tells you what the vehicle looks like, the class designation tells you which variant you’re looking at. Together the two give you the full identification, and you need both if you want to keep clean sighting records.
A rough overview of the families that dominate German local and regional services:
- FLIRT by Stadler – articulated trains with an angular front, listed in Germany among others in blocks 427, 428, 429 and 3428, depending on the number of car sections.
- Talent 2 by Bombardier – recognisable by its bulging front section, listed under 442 for the end cars and 443 for the middle cars.
- Coradia Continental by Alstom – listed under 440, 441 and 1440, with a flat, wide-looking front.
- Desiro and Mireo by Siemens – the Desiro HC is the double-deck variant, the Mireo the single-deck regional multiple unit.
- KISS by Stadler – a double-deck multiple unit, not to be confused with locomotive-hauled double-deck coaches.
Anyone who commits these five families to memory by nose shape will afterwards be able to identify the great majority of German electric multiple units in passing. The number is then only needed for fine distinctions – for example between the three-part FLIRT of Class 427 and its longer siblings. A structured order for this approach is given by the guide to identifying classes.
Common mix-ups
It points to a Mireo if …
- the front is smooth and softly rounded, with a deeply drawn-down windscreen
- only one bogie stands between the car sections
- the interior is fully walk-through
- the class designation is 463, 464, 1463 or 563
Look more closely if …
- you only see the train from the side – then the most important feature is missing
- an advertising or network livery obscures the shapes
- two units are coupled and you can't cleanly separate the car count
It's not a Mireo if …
- the train is double-decked
- two bogies stand at each car transition
- the vehicle number begins with 95 – then it's a diesel railcar
In everyday spotting there are three specific families that overlap with the Mireo. The Stadler FLIRT is likewise an articulated train with Jacobs bogies, but has a noticeably more angular front with a clearly set-off windscreen. The Alstom Coradia Continental looks very similar in side view, but differs through its flatter, wider-looking front section. And the battery variant of the family itself, the Siemens Mireo Plus B, looks practically identical from the front – only its extra large roof containers over the batteries give it away.
Verdict
Class 563 shows nicely how the German numbering system and the manufacturer families operate side by side: Mireo describes the design, 563 the variant, and the UIC type code 94 the vehicle type. For field identification, a look at the nose shape and the bogies is enough; the number on the side wall provides confirmation.
In short
Softly rounded front, Jacobs bogies, walk-through interior: that's the Mireo signature. Whether 463, 1463 or 563 – the exact variant is on the side wall, not in the train's face.
All your multiple-unit sightings in one place
Class, unit, date and location cleanly logged – so you always know what you're still missing.
Summary
- Class 563 is a representative of the Siemens Mireo platform for regional services.
- Like all modern regional multiple units it's an articulated train: short car sections, shared bogies, one continuous interior.
- Nose shape, bogie arrangement and the class identifier on the side are enough for identification.
- Operators and service networks depend on contracts and change – the vehicle and its design stay constant.
Frequently asked questions
What is Class 563?
Class 563 is a German class designation for multiple units from the Mireo family built by Siemens Mobility. The Mireo is a platform for regional multiple units, built in various lengths and traction variants. The designation places the vehicles within the German numbering system and says nothing about the operator.
Why does the Mireo family have several class numbers?
Because the German system doesn't number the manufacturer family, but the specific vehicle variant. Length, traction type and equipment lead to different designations – which is why Mireo vehicles exist under 463 and 464, under 1463 and under 563. The product name Mireo stays the same for all of them.
What does the UIC type code 94 mean?
It forms the first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number and means electric multiple unit. Electric locomotives carry 91, diesel locomotives 92, high-speed trains 93, diesel railcars 95. The code describes the vehicle type, not the manufacturer, age or area of operation.
What are Jacobs bogies?
On an articulated train, two neighbouring car sections rest on a shared bogie. That saves weight, shortens the train and creates the typical picture: between two car bodies you see only one bogie instead of two. Mireo, FLIRT, Talent and Coradia use this principle; classic locomotive-hauled trains don't.
How do I tell the Mireo and the Stadler FLIRT apart?
By the nose shape. The Mireo has a smooth, softly rounded front with a deeply drawn-down windscreen. The FLIRT looks more angular, with a clearly set-off windscreen and a more pronounced transition to the roof. Both are articulated units with Jacobs bogies, so counting bogies doesn't help here.
Is there a battery version of the Mireo too?
Yes, under the designation Mireo Plus B. This variant charges under overhead wire and then runs on battery across non-electrified sections. It's recognisable by extra large roof containers and by running with its pantograph on routes with no overhead line.
Where does Class 563 run?
Service networks and operators in regional services are tied to contract periods and change with every timetable change. A fixed list of routes would soon be wrong. It's more reliable to check the current situation via real-time information and recent sightings.
How do I tell exactly which unit is in front of me?
By the full vehicle number. Each car section of a multiple unit carries its own twelve-digit number, and the unit itself also carries a running number, usually clearly visible at the front or on the side next to the door. For a usable sighting log, this running number is the decisive value.
Log your sighting of the Class 563 (Siemens Mireo)
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Related classes
Class 463 / 464 (Siemens Mireo)
Classes 463 and 464 are the German numbers for the Siemens Mireo – two length variants of a modern regional multiple-unit family. Here's how to recognise them.
EMUClass 1463 (Siemens Mireo)
The Class 1463 belongs to Siemens' Mireo family – the modern regional multiple unit with an aluminium body shell and Jacobs bogies. Here's how to recognise it in the field.
EMUSiemens Mireo Plus B
The Mireo Plus B is the battery variant of Siemens' Mireo platform: a pantograph plus a battery, so lines without continuous overhead wire can be worked too.
EMUClass 3462 (Siemens Desiro HC)
Class 3462 is one of several number groups of the Siemens Desiro HC. How to recognise the family – and why only the vehicle number reveals the group.
EMUDB Class 420 / 421
The Class 420 is the original German S-Bahn train: three cars, no gangway between them, built from 1969. Here's how to recognise it – and tell it apart from the 423.
EMUDB Class 422 / 432
The Class 422 is the direct evolution of the 423 – and its near-identical twin. Here's what genuinely sets the two apart.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Siemens 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.
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