Key takeaways
- Class 623 is a Coradia LINT 41 – the two-part, 41-metre variant of the LINT family.
- The same build exists twice: the older LINT 41 generation runs as Class 648, the newer one as 623.
- Quickest route to identification: LINT front-end shape, two car sections, roof radiator – then read the data panel.
- The number isn't optional here: without it, telling 623 and 648 apart stays uncertain.
- Operators and networks change with every new award; fixed route lists go out of date fast.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Two-part diesel multiple unit for regional services |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Alstom |
| Type name | Coradia LINT 41 |
| Train formation | two car sections in a fixed formation |
| UIC type code | 95 – diesel railcars and diesel multiple units |
| Related class | 648 – older LINT 41 generation |
| Operators and service networks | changeable – shift with service contracts |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Two car sections in a fixed formation, more compact than a LINT 54
- Roof-mounted radiator and exhaust, no pantograph
- Typical LINT tall, boxy front with a large windscreen
- Vehicle number begins with 623 – not with 648
- Doorways sit between the bogies, not at the car ends
Updated: August 2026 – The Coradia LINT 41 is the standard diesel railcar in German regional services – and it exists as two classes. Class 623 is the newer generation, the older one runs as 648. From the outside the two are barely distinguishable. This page shows you which features help anyway, and why the vehicle number is no minor detail here.
623 or 648? The number decides.
Note down the vehicle number on the spot instead of trying to reconstruct it later – done in one tap with Traintrack.
What is Class 623?
Class 623 is Alstom’s Coradia LINT 41, a two-part diesel multiple unit for regional services. The number in the type name describes the approximate vehicle length in metres – around 41 metres, spread across two car sections. Operators include regional service companies such as vlexx in Rhineland-Palatinate.
What’s distinctive about this class is less the technology than the numbering system: the same vehicle type runs in Germany as two separate classes. The older generation runs as Class 648, the newer one as 623. Anyone who only notes down “LINT 41” loses exactly that distinction.
In the vehicle classification system the 623 sits with the diesel railcars: UIC type code 95, the first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number. How that number is structured is explained in the guide on reading the UIC number and its check digit.
Identifying it in four steps
Confirm the traction
A radiator and exhaust on the roof mean diesel. A pantograph immediately rules out any diesel LINT class.
Recognise the family
A tall, boxy front with a large windscreen and low-set headlights: the LINT signature. The Talent and Desiro Classic look distinctly different.
Judge the length
Two car sections and a compact overall impression point to the LINT 41. If the train looks noticeably longer, you're more likely looking at a LINT 54.
Read the number
623 or 648 – that's the real question with this vehicle, and it can only be answered from the data panel.
The general sequence for identifying classes is explained in the guide to identifying rolling stock classes – it’s especially useful when several classes share the same build.
The LINT family and its class numbers
| Type | Car sections | German class(es) | Identification tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coradia LINT 27 | one car section | 640 | unmistakable from being single-part |
| Coradia LINT 41 | two car sections | 623, 648 | two classes for the same type |
| Coradia LINT 54 | two car sections | 622 | noticeably longer than the LINT 41 |
| Coradia LINT 81 | three car sections | 620 | unmistakable from being three-part |
Two rows in this table are two-part – and that’s exactly where most misidentifications happen. The LINT 54 of Class 622 looks very similar to the LINT 41 at first glance, but is noticeably longer. Unmistakable, on the other hand, is the single-part LINT 27 of Class 640: a single car can’t be any of the other variants.
See which LINT classes are being reported
Community sightings show you the class and number – the fastest answer to the 623-or-648 question.
Photo tips for the everyday regional railcar
The LINT 41 is an everyday vehicle – and that’s exactly the photographic challenge: everyday subjects need a reason for you to look at them.
Choose the light, don't just accept it
Low light in the morning or late afternoon picks out the edges of the boxy front. Midday light makes the large flat surfaces look flat and dull.
Bring in the surroundings
Station architecture, landscape or signalling equipment turn a vehicle shot into a scene – for common vehicles, that's the real added value.
Don't crop off the roof
The radiator housings are the feature that sets it apart from electric variants. Too low a viewpoint takes that information away from you.
Keep the number legible
With two classes for the same vehicle type, the data panel is the decisive piece of information in the shot. Frame accordingly.
The technical basics – shutter speed, focus plane, panning – are covered in the guide on taking good photos of trains.
Keep clear of the platform edge
Stay behind the safety line and keep clear of the platform edge. Don't step onto the track area, and operational land and sidings are off limits – no matter how interesting the vehicle is.
Why there are two classes for the same vehicle type
That one and the same vehicle type runs in Germany under two different class numbers looks confusing at first glance. But there’s an understandable logic behind it that you’ll come across with many other vehicles too.
Class numbers aren’t assigned by appearance, but by technical and operational grouping. Vehicles procured at different times, in different build states, or with different fittings get their own number ranges – even when the body looks identical. Workshops, registration paperwork and spare parts lists need to be able to tell the vehicles apart cleanly, and that’s exactly what the number is for.
For the LINT 41 family, that produced two classes: the older 648 and the newer 623. Both are Coradia LINT 41s, both are two-part, both share the same basic shape. The differences lie in details that are barely visible from the outside.
In practice that means two things. First: identifying this vehicle by its build ends at the family level. Anyone who wants to go further needs the data panel – there’s no reliable visual substitute for it. Second: anyone who notes down only “LINT 41” has noted down a vehicle family, not a class. That’s not enough for a usable sighting.
You’ll come across the same pattern with numerous other vehicles on the German network, especially with families procured over many years and across several tenders. Getting into the habit early of always reading the full number sidesteps this whole class of problem.
One last note on approach: if you couldn’t read the number, it’s better to log the sighting explicitly as a LINT 41 with no class assigned, rather than guess. An honestly incomplete entry can be filled in later – a wrong assignment goes unnoticed by everyone.
Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
It points to the 623 if …
- a two-part railcar with the LINT front-end shape is running
- the train looks compact and doesn't have the length of a LINT 54
- a radiator and exhaust sit on the roof
- the data panel begins with 623
Look more closely if …
- you're trying to tell 623 and 648 apart – from the outside they look very similar
- two units are coupled together and the middle of the train isn't visible
- a new operator livery has replaced the usual colour layout
It's not a 623 if …
- a pantograph sits on the roof
- the train is a single car or three-part
- the data panel begins with 620, 622, 640 or 648
Conclusion
Class 623 is a good example of why vehicle numbers aren’t an afterthought in class identification: build and front-end shape only give you the family here, not the class. Anyone who has once learned the LINT system – number equals length, car count narrows it down, number decides – can identify any vehicle in this family in seconds.
Verdict in brief
A two-part LINT with a roof radiator and a compact length: that's a LINT 41. Whether it's 623 or 648 is revealed only by the data panel – note it down, or the sighting stays incomplete.
Keep LINT sightings cleanly separated
Class, number, place and date in one app – so you can still reliably tell 623 and 648 apart weeks later.
Summary
- The LINT 41 is the most widespread variant of the Coradia LINT family in German regional services.
- Class 623 stands for the newer generation of this vehicle, the 648 for the older one.
- Because the two generations look very similar, only the vehicle number gives a reliable identification.
- Always treat service areas, operators and liveries as subject to change.
Frequently asked questions
What is Class 623?
Class 623 is Alstom's Coradia LINT 41, a two-part diesel multiple unit for regional services. The 41 in the type name stands for the approximate vehicle length in metres. In the vehicle classification system it carries the UIC type code 95, alongside the other diesel railcars.
What's the difference between Class 623 and Class 648?
Both are Coradia LINT 41s and look correspondingly alike. The 648 is the older generation, the 623 the newer one. The differences are in the detail – interior, fittings and registration dates. From the outside, only the vehicle number gives a reliable identification.
How do I recognise a LINT 41 out in the field?
By the typical LINT tall, boxy front with a large windscreen, by two car sections, and by a roof with a radiator and exhaust instead of a pantograph. Because the LINT 54 is also two-part, length helps too: the LINT 41 looks noticeably more compact.
What does the number 41 in the name mean?
It stands for the approximate vehicle length in metres. The LINT 27, LINT 54 and LINT 81 are named on the same pattern. The number replaces having to learn class numbers by heart – you just need a rough sense of length.
How do I tell the LINT apart from a visually related electric multiple unit?
By the roof. Radiator grilles and exhaust systems mean diesel traction and the type code 95; a pantograph means electric traction and the type code 94. With diesel and electric variants styled almost identically, the roof is the only truly reliable feature.
Who operates Class 623?
That changes with each contract award. Regional services are regularly re-tendered; with a new service contract the operator, network and livery often change. Check the current situation through community sightings rather than older vehicle and route lists.
Do LINT 41s also run coupled together?
Yes, that's common under heavy demand. Two coupled units make four car sections in a row, three make six. That's not a different class, just multiple traction – look out for the coupling points between the units.
Why does the 623 carry the type code 95?
Because the first two digits of the twelve-digit vehicle number give the type, and 95 stands for diesel railcars and diesel multiple units. Manufacturer, year built and length play no part in it – all that matters is that the power comes from a diesel engine.
Log your sighting of the Class 623 (Alstom Coradia LINT 41)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
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.
DMUClass 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 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 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 650 (Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1)
The Regio-Shuttle RS1 of Class 650 is Germany's most distinctive single-part diesel railcar. Here's how to recognise it by its front, windows and roof.
DMUClass 654
Class 654 belongs to railcars with their own power generation. This page shows how to place the number and identify the vehicle reliably in the field.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Related guides from the blog
