Key takeaways
- The Twindexx Vario is not a multiple unit, but a set of double-deck coaches for push-pull operation.
- The most reliable test: a pantograph on a coach? No. Then a locomotive supplies the traction.
- Conventional coach formation instead of an articulated unit: each coach runs on its own two bogies.
- The driving trailer leads without driving anything itself – it only relays commands to the locomotive at the rear.
- Locomotive and coaches are separable: which class is coupled on the front can change at any time.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Double-deck coaches for locomotive-hauled push-pull operation in regional services |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Bombardier Transportation (today Alstom), Doppelstockwagenbau Görlitz |
| Vehicle family | Twindexx Vario – current generation of the double-deck coach family |
| Train formation | Driving trailer, intermediate coaches and locomotive in push-pull operation |
| Propulsion | No propulsion of its own – traction is supplied by the locomotive |
| Body style | Conventional coach formation, each coach on its own two bogies |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Double-deck coach bodies with a tapered lower side wall and a low-slung lower deck
- Each coach stands on its own two bogies – no Jacobs bogies
- No pantograph on the coaches: only the locomotive draws current from the overhead line
- A driving trailer with a cab at one end of the train, the locomotive at the other
- Doors on the lower deck at low entry height, usually two per side per coach
- Vehicle numbers in the UIC coach numbering scheme, not the multiple-unit scheme
Updated: August 2026 – A double-deck train pulls into the station, a coach with a cab at the front, a locomotive at the rear: that is a push-pull set – and this is exactly where the most common misidentification in regional services happens. The Twindexx Vario looks like a multiple unit but is not one. This page shows you the one feature that settles the question in a second.
Note locomotive and coach set separately
On push-pull sets the combination keeps changing – keep a record of both numbers.
What is the Twindexx Vario?
The Twindexx Vario is the current generation of Bombardier’s double-deck coaches for German regional services, built at the Doppelstockwagenbau works in Görlitz. These are unpowered passenger coaches that run in push-pull operation: an electric locomotive stands at one end of the train, a double-deck driving trailer with a cab at the other.
That makes it fundamentally different from a multiple unit. A multiple unit is a permanently formed unit with its own traction equipment. A push-pull set is a formation of interchangeable vehicles – the locomotive can be a different one today than yesterday, individual coaches can be swapped, and the set can also be driven from the other end. For identification purposes that means the locomotive and coaches need to be considered separately. How to approach identification in general is explained in the guide to identifying rolling-stock classes.
The associated cab coach is its own vehicle with its own type designation; the double-deck driving trailers of types DBpbzfa 761, 765 and 766 are the best-known example. Anyone who wants to keep the train number and the vehicle numbers straight will find the right system in the article on finding the train number.
Multiple unit or push-pull set? The one-second test
Look at the coach roofs
If one of the coaches carries a pantograph, it is a multiple unit. If all the coach roofs are empty, a locomotive is supplying the traction – so it is a push-pull set.
Check the rear of the train
A locomotive at the back? Then the matter is clear. On a multiple unit, the rear of the train looks exactly like the front.
Count the bogies
Two bogies per coach and two between each pair of coaches mean a conventional coach formation. A single bogie shared between two coach sections would indicate an articulated unit.
The driving trailer is the most deceptive part
A modern double-deck driving trailer has a fully styled front end with a cab and so looks like a powered vehicle. But it has no propulsion – it only relays commands to the locomotive at the other end of the train.
Double-deck vehicles compared
Several double-deck concepts exist side by side in German regional services. They look similar from a distance but work in completely different ways.
| Concept | Propulsion | Recognition feature | Coach formation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double-deck push-pull set (Twindexx Vario) | Locomotive at the end of the train | Empty coach roofs | Conventional, interchangeable coaches |
| Double-deck multiple unit (Twindexx Express) | Integrated in the train | Pantograph on the train roof | Fixed unit |
| Double-deck multiple unit (Stadler KISS) | Integrated in the train | Pantograph, more rounded nose shape | Fixed unit |
| Single-deck articulated unit | Integrated in the train | Jacobs bogies, low build height | Fixed unit |
| Locomotive-hauled single-deck train | Locomotive at the end of the train | Classic coach formation, empty roofs | Conventional |
Deployment areas can change
Which sets run in which network and which locomotive class is coupled on the front depends on transport contracts put out to tender by public transport authorities such as the Zweckverband für den Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig, on timetable years and on vehicle availability. Do not take any line list found online as fixed – check the current situation.
See which locomotive is currently on the front
Community sightings show you locomotive-and-set combinations in real time.
Photo tips for double-deck push-pull sets
Double-deck trains are tall, long and dark-liveried – three properties that make photos demanding.
- Think about both ends of the train. The more interesting shot is often the one with the locomotive, not the one with the driving trailer. Plan for which direction the train will be arriving from.
- Enough distance from the platform edge. The tall coach bodies need distance, otherwise the perspective tips over. The safety line remains the hard limit here – the track area stays out of bounds.
- Pay attention to the window rows. Two levels of windows stacked above each other are the subject; too tight a crop wastes it.
- Capture the locomotive plate and the coach number. Only this lets you reconstruct the combination afterwards.
Where to find locations with high volumes of regional traffic is listed in the overview of the best stations for trainspotting in Germany. The technical groundwork – shutter speed, viewpoint, light – is covered in the guide to good photos of trains.
How a push-pull set works operationally
The push-pull set is one of the most elegant solutions in railway operation – and at the same time the reason for most misidentifications in regional services. A brief look at how it works clears up both.
On a classic locomotive-hauled train the locomotive always stands at the front of the train. At a terminal station it has to run round: uncouple, travel via a siding to the other end of the train, couple up again, brake test. That costs time, staff and track capacity – in dense regional services with short turnaround times, that is not workable.
The push-pull set solves this with a through control line. A driving trailer with a full cab sits at the end of the train. When the train runs in the opposite direction, the driver simply moves there and pushes the train, while the locomotive stays at the rear and continues to supply the traction. The locomotive is then remote-controlled; propulsion, brakes and train protection respond to the controls in the driving trailer.
Several practical points follow from this for spotting:
- The locomotive can be at the front or the rear. Both states are normal operation – so the position tells you nothing about the train type.
- Pulled or pushed is down to chance. Anyone wanting a shot of the locomotive at the front of the train should check the direction of travel beforehand.
- Locomotives and sets are rostered separately. The same set runs with different locomotives on consecutive days.
- Coaches can be swapped individually. The formation of a set can change after a workshop visit.
That is exactly why it is worth noting both numbers on push-pull sets: that of the locomotive and that of the driving trailer. Only the combination documents what was actually travelling together – and it is exactly this combination that changes fastest.
Common mix-ups
It points to a double-deck push-pull set if …
- no coach roof carries a pantograph
- a locomotive runs at the end of the train
- each coach stands on its own two bogies
- the coaches are numbered in the passenger-coach scheme
Look more closely if …
- you only see the front with the driving trailer
- the train is standing in the station and the rear is hidden
- two sets are running coupled together
It is not a push-pull set if …
- a pantograph sits on one of the double-deck coaches
- both ends of the train are identically styled and no locomotive is present
- only one bogie stands between two coach sections
Three vehicles are most often confused with the Twindexx Vario in everyday spotting. The Twindexx Express (Class 445/446) is the self-propelled double-deck multiple unit from the same product family – it carries its pantographs on its own roof, and that is the only feature you really need. The Stadler KISS is also a double-deck multiple unit, but differs from the Twindexx Express by its more strongly rounded nose shape. And the double-deck driving trailer DBpbzfa is, strictly speaking, not even its own train concept, but the leading coach of exactly these sets – anyone seeing it on its own can easily mistake it for a powered vehicle.
Verdict
The Twindexx Vario is the best example of why you should look at the roof first with double-deck trains. Empty coach roofs plus a locomotive at the rear mean a push-pull set, a pantograph on the train means a multiple unit. Everything else – front-end shape, livery, network – is fine detail or changeable anyway.
Quick verdict
Double-deck coaches without a pantograph, driving trailer at the front, locomotive at the rear: that is the Twindexx Vario as a push-pull set. If the pantograph instead sits on the train itself, you are looking at a double-deck multiple unit.
Log push-pull combinations
Locomotive, driving trailer, date and location in one app – so it stays traceable what actually travelled together.
Summary
- The Twindexx Vario is Bombardier's current generation of double-deck coaches for German regional services.
- It runs in a push-pull formation with an electric locomotive and a double-deck driving trailer.
- The key distinguishing feature versus double-deck multiple units is the lack of its own propulsion.
- Because locomotive classes and coach sets are rostered separately, it is worth noting both numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Twindexx Vario?
The Twindexx Vario is the current generation of double-deck coaches from Bombardier for German regional services, built at the long-established Doppelstockwagenbau works in Görlitz. The coaches have no propulsion of their own: they run as a push-pull set with an electric locomotive at one end and a driving trailer at the other.
Is the Twindexx Vario a multiple unit?
No. A multiple unit has its own propulsion, the Twindexx Vario does not. It is a coach set that is pulled or pushed by a locomotive. Visually this is confusing, because a driving trailer at the front looks just like a powered vehicle – but it lacks a pantograph and traction equipment.
How do I tell a push-pull set apart from a double-deck multiple unit?
By the pantograph. A double-deck multiple unit such as the Twindexx Express or the Stadler KISS carries its pantographs on its own coach roofs. On a push-pull set the pantograph sits exclusively on the locomotive. So look at the roofs of the coaches – if they are empty, it is a push-pull set.
What is a driving trailer?
A driving trailer is a passenger coach with a cab but no propulsion. From it the driver controls the locomotive at the other end of the train. This means the locomotive does not need to run round at terminal stations. Double-deck driving trailers carry their own type designations in the UIC coach scheme.
Why does the Twindexx Vario have no Jacobs bogies?
Because it has a conventional coach formation: each coach is a complete vehicle on its own two bogies and can be coupled or swapped individually. Articulated units such as the FLIRT, Talent or Mireo, by contrast, share bogies between coach sections and are permanently formed.
Which locomotive hauls these trains?
In electrified regional services, various four-axle electric locomotives can be used for this. Which class is actually coupled on the front depends on diagrams, vehicle availability and the transport contract, and can change at short notice. For spotting purposes it is therefore worth noting locomotive and coach set separately.
Why do you see these trains so often?
Double-deck coaches offer plenty of seats within a limited train length and are therefore widespread in high-demand regional services. Exactly where they run depends on transport contracts and timetable years – this changes regularly and should always be checked against the current situation.
How should I best log a push-pull set?
Note the locomotive number as well as the number of the driving trailer. Because locomotives and coach sets are rostered separately, the combination is rarely permanent. Anyone who only notes the locomotive loses the information about the coach set – and vice versa.
Log your sighting of the DB Regio Dosto (Twindexx Vario)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
DBpbzfa 761 / 765 / 766
A cab at the front, but no propulsion: the double-deck driving trailer leads the push-pull set without pulling it. Here's how to recognise and read it correctly.
EMUClass 445 / 446 (Bombardier Twindexx Express)
The Class 445 is a double-deck multiple unit: double-deck cars with their own drive and no separate locomotive. Its intermediate cars run as Class 446.
EMUStadler KISS (Class 445 / 446)
The KISS is Stadler's double-deck multiple unit. It shares the German class numbers 445 and 446 with a rival design – it's the construction that separates the two, not the number.
EMUTatra T6A2
The Tatra T6A2 is the last generation of four-axle Tatra trams for German operators – recognisable by its angular body with rectangular windows.
EMUTW 2000
The TW 2000 is Hanover's silver light rail car: unpainted aluminium body, strikingly round front. And the car number tells you the type straight away.
EMUTW 3000
The TW 3000 is Hannover's newest generation of Stadtbahn (light rail) cars. It continues the design line of the Silberpfeil – what really sets it apart is its number block.
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