Key takeaways
- The 620 is the Coradia LINT 81, the three-car and therefore longest member of Alstom's LINT family.
- The number in the type name describes the approximate vehicle length in metres – 81 for the three-car version, 54 and 41 for the shorter variants.
- Quickest way to identify it: LINT front-end shape, three car sections, roof radiators instead of a pantograph.
- The main risk of confusion is with other LINT classes – the number of cars is the decisive feature.
- Operators and networks change with every contract award; route lists go out of date quickly.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Three-car diesel railcar for regional services |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Alstom |
| Type name | Coradia LINT 81 |
| Formation | three car sections in a fixed formation |
| UIC type code | 95 – diesel railcars and diesel multiple units |
| Operators and networks | changeable – shift with service contracts |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Three car sections in a fixed formation – the longest member of the LINT family
- Roof equipment with radiators and exhaust, no pantograph
- LINT-typical front-end shape: tall, boxy front with a large windscreen and low-set headlights
- Vehicle number starts with 620
- Doors sit not at the ends of the car but in the areas between the bogies
Updated: August 2026 – Three car sections, boxy front, radiators on the roof: the Class 620 is the Coradia LINT 81, the long variant of one of the most successful German diesel railcar families. This page shows you how to tell it apart from its shorter siblings in seconds, and why the number in the type name is such a genuinely useful memory aid.
Keep the LINT classes apart
Number of cars, vehicle number, network – log it all straight away instead of reconstructing it later. Traintrack turns it into your personal archive.
What is the Class 620?
The Class 620 is the Coradia LINT 81 by Alstom, a three-car diesel railcar for regional services. The number in the type name describes the approximate vehicle length in metres – the LINT 81 is therefore the longest variant in the family.
In the vehicle classification system it sits among the diesel railcars: UIC type code 95, the first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number. That classification is so useful precisely because it settles the type of propulsion before you even know the class. How the numbering system works overall is explained in the guide to reading the UIC number and its check digit.
Operationally the 620 is a classic regional-service vehicle for routes without continuous electrification. Which operator runs it on which network depends on service contracts, such as those in the Rheinland-Pfalz-Takt, and changes with every new award – usually bringing new liveries along with it. In German regional networks the type runs among others for vlexx.
The LINT logic: a number in the name, car sections on the train
Hardly any other vehicle family is so easy to systematise. The type designation follows the length, and the length shows up directly in the number of car sections.
Recognise the family
A tall, boxy front with a large windscreen and low-set headlights: that's the LINT signature, distinguishing it from Talent, Desiro Classic and Regio-Shuttle.
Count the car sections
Three car sections mean LINT 81 and therefore Class 620. Two car sections lead to the LINT 41 or LINT 54, a single car to the LINT 27.
Check the roof
Radiator grilles and exhaust instead of a pantograph confirm the diesel propulsion – and rule out visually similar electric multiple units.
Read the number
The data panel starts with 620. Because several classes exist within the family, this step is the real confirmation.
The general order for identification – from vehicle type through body shape to the number – is covered in more detail in the guide to identifying classes.
The LINT family at a glance
Once you’ve taken in the table below, you can place practically any LINT without looking anything up.
| Type | Car sections | German class(es) | Memory aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coradia LINT 27 | one car section | 640 | shortest member, single car |
| Coradia LINT 41 | two car sections | 623, 648 | most common variant in the network |
| Coradia LINT 54 | two car sections | 622 | longer two-car variant |
| Coradia LINT 81 | three car sections | 620 | only three-car variant |
The table also reveals the most common mistake: between the Class 622 (LINT 54) and the Class 623 (LINT 41), the number of car sections doesn’t help, because both are two-car units. There, length relative to the platform decides – or simply the data panel. Only the single-car LINT 27, Class 640 and the three-car LINT 81 are unambiguous from the number of cars alone.
Which LINT variant runs near you?
Community sightings show you which classes are currently running in your network – vehicle numbers included.
Photo tips for a three-car railcar
A three-car railcar is noticeably longer than the typical regional railcar – that changes both your choice of location and focal length.
Plan for distance
Three car sections need more frame width. A location too close to the track forces an extreme angle where the train collapses in on itself in perspective.
Choose a three-quarter view
About 30 to 45 degrees to the vehicle's axis shows the front and side wall at the same time – and keeps the car sections recognisable as a sequence.
Keep the roofline clear
Radiators and exhaust are the feature that separates diesel from electric vehicles. Too low a viewpoint crops out exactly this information.
Keep the number in frame
The data panel on the side wall turns a picture into documentation. Plan your crop accordingly.
Which focal length suits which train length and distance is covered in the guide to focal length in train photography.
The platform edge stays the platform edge
Always keep a safe distance and stay behind the safety line. You don't step onto the track – not even for a better angle on a long railcar.
Why a three-car diesel railcar gets built at all
Most regional railcars in Germany are one- or two-car units. A three-car vehicle like the LINT 81 therefore needs some explaining – and the explanation also tells you where to realistically look for it.
A longer railcar pays off where demand is consistently high but there’s no electrification. Two coupled short vehicles would be an alternative, but bring drawbacks with them: doubled driving cabs, doubled propulsion equipment, more gangways, less usable floor area per metre of train length. A single, continuous three-car vehicle makes better use of the available platform length and offers an unbroken interior.
For observation that means: the LINT 81 runs more on high-demand regional corridors than on lightly used branch lines. Where a single-car Regio-Shuttle is enough, no three-car vehicle gets deployed. That’s not a rule without exceptions, but a useful first pointer when choosing a location.
A second practical point concerns platforms. A three-car railcar needs noticeably more platform length than a two-car one. At short platforms this is immediately obvious – the vehicle reaches the end of the platform or beyond it. Anyone unsure during identification can use exactly this comparison: the platform is a yardstick that’s always available.
For photography, a third topic follows from this. Three car sections no longer fit into every frame you’d get from a familiar spot. Either you step further back, choose a shorter focal length, or deliberately decide against the whole train in favour of a detail shot. All three approaches are legitimate – but the decision should be made before the train arrives, not during it.
What still matters: the route to more distance never runs through the track area. Locations are sought only on publicly accessible ground, at a safe distance from the platform edge.
Common look-alikes and how to rule them out
It points to the 620 if …
- the railcar consists of three car sections
- the front shows the typical LINT signature
- radiators and exhaust sit on the roof
- the data panel starts with 620
Look more closely if …
- two two-car units are running coupled together and look like one longer train
- you only see the front end and can't count the car sections
- a new operator livery replaces the familiar colour scheme
It is not a LINT 81 if …
- a pantograph sits on the roof – then it's an electric multiple unit with type code 94
- the train consists of only one or two car sections
- the data panel starts with 622, 623, 640 or 648
Verdict
The Class 620 is the easiest LINT of all to identify: it’s the only three-car variant in the family. Anyone who has once learned to recognise the LINT front-end shape and then counts the car sections reaches a result in seconds. Everything else – operator, network, livery – is subject to change and belongs in the sighting record, not in memory.
In short
LINT front end plus three car sections plus roof radiators: that's the LINT 81, Class 620. The number in the type name is the length in metres – the best memory aid in the whole family.
Sort your LINT sightings
Class, number, network and date in one place – so you can see straight away which variants you're still missing.
Summary
- The LINT 81, Class 620, is the long variant of one of the most successful German diesel railcar families.
- Within the family, classes are told apart fastest by the number of car sections.
- Looking at the roof separates diesel from electric variants of visually similar vehicles.
- Service networks depend on contract awards and should always be checked against current status.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Class 620?
The Class 620 is the Coradia LINT 81 by Alstom, a three-car diesel railcar for regional services. It's the longest variant of the LINT family. In the vehicle classification system it sits among the diesel railcars with UIC type code 95.
What does the number 81 mean in the name LINT 81?
It stands for the approximate vehicle length in metres. The LINT 27, LINT 41 and LINT 54 are named on the same principle. That makes the number a very handy memory aid: the bigger it is, the longer and more multi-car the vehicle.
How do I identify a LINT 81 reliably?
By the combination of the LINT front-end shape and three car sections. The boxy, tall front with a large windscreen is typical of the family; the number of car sections tells the classes within the family apart. The data panel starts with 620 and confirms the result.
What is the difference between the LINT 41, LINT 54 and LINT 81?
Mainly length and number of car sections. The LINT 41 and LINT 54 appear as two-car units, the LINT 81 as three-car. In Germany they carry different class numbers – among others 623 and 648 for the LINT 41, 622 for the LINT 54, and 620 for the LINT 81.
How do I tell a LINT apart from a visually similar electric multiple unit?
By the roof. A pantograph means electric propulsion; radiator grilles and exhaust equipment mean a diesel engine. Many manufacturer families offer near-identical-looking diesel and electric variants – the front-end shape won't help then, but the roofline always will.
Who operates the Class 620?
That changes with each contract award. Regional services are regularly retendered, and operators, networks and liveries often change along with the service contract. Treat older lists as a pointer and check the current status via community reports.
Why does the 620 carry the type code 95?
Because the first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number give the vehicle type, and 95 stands for diesel railcars and diesel multiple units. Manufacturer, length and type of service make no difference to that – all that matters is that the vehicle uses a diesel engine as its power source.
Does the LINT 81 also run in multiple-unit working?
Railcars of this size are coupled together at times of high demand, so several units run as one train. Six car sections in a row don't then mean a different vehicle, but two coupled units of the same class.
Log your sighting of the Class 620 (Alstom Coradia LINT 81)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
Class 622 (Alstom Coradia LINT 54)
The LINT 54 of Class 622 is the longer of the two-part LINT variants – the one case where counting carriages alone isn't enough to identify it.
DMUClass 623 (Alstom Coradia LINT 41)
Class 623 is a two-part Coradia LINT 41 – the same build as the older 648, but its own class with its own number range.
DMUClass 640 (Alstom Coradia LINT 27)
The Class 640 is the single-car Coradia LINT 27 – the shortest member of the LINT family. Here's how to recognise it and tell it apart from its longer sisters.
DMUClass 644 (Bombardier Talent)
Class 644 is the three-part Bombardier Talent with diesel-electric transmission. Visually almost identical to the 643 – the vehicle number is what settles it.
DMUClass 646 (Stadler GTW 2/6)
The GTW 2/6 of Class 646 is unmistakable: a narrow drive module sits between the two car body sections. Here's how to identify it reliably in the field.
DMUClass 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.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Rheinland-Pfalz-Takt
The Rheinland-Pfalz-Takt owns no locomotive, no staff and no licence. It's a statewide timetable concept that has organised connections since the 1990s. It's operated by changing companies that emerge from tendering procedures.
Brandvlexx
vlexx is an invented name with no meaning – and that was entirely intentional. Behind the brand stands a company in the Netinera group that runs a large diesel network between the Rhine, Nahe and Saar. The same vehicles also carry the client's brand alongside it.
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