Key takeaways
- Type 71 is a multiple unit, not a locomotive: Norway writes multiple units as "Type" plus a number, but locomotives as El or Di plus a number.
- Its own brand, its own look: the airport express appears separately from the rest of local transport and is recognisable by its livery alone.
- Same electrification system as in Germany: 15 kV / 16.7 Hz – the overhead line and pantograph will look familiar.
- Service pattern and fleet change: airport services are regularly retendered and modernised – check the current state.
- Not a vehicle for German spotters at home: sightings only happen while travelling.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Electric multiple unit for airport feeder services |
|---|---|
| Designation system | "Type 71" – Norwegian multiple units carry "Type" plus a number |
| Short form | BM 71, from Norwegian "motorvogn" for railcar |
| Manufacturer | Adtranz |
| Electrification system | 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC |
| Track gauge | 1435 mm standard gauge |
| Traffic role | Airport express in the Oslo area |
| Country of use | Norway – no regular service in Germany |
| UIC country code | 76 (Norway) |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Its own brand livery and brand markings, clearly set apart from the rest of local transport in the Oslo area
- A through multiple unit with no separate locomotive – powered cars form a fixed unit
- Marking Type 71 or BM 71 plus a running number
- Pantograph on the roof – purely electric operation under 15 kV / 16.7 Hz
- Appears at the platforms serving airport traffic, not in classic regional services away from them
- Interior laid out for luggage, recognisable by generous storage areas
Updated: August 2026 – Anyone who lands in Oslo and takes the train into the city will most likely be sitting in a Flytoget Type 71 multiple unit. For spotters this vehicle is interesting for two reasons: it shows Norwegian multiple-unit logic in its purest form, and it stands right next to general local transport – ideal for learning to compare types side by side.
Your first sighting starts at the airport
Note the type number, running number and location right when you change trains – before your holiday overwrites the memory.
What is the Flytoget BM71?
The BM71 is an electric multiple unit for airport feeder services in the Oslo area, built by Adtranz. In Norwegian nomenclature it is correctly called “Type 71”: there, multiple units carry the word “Type” plus a number, while locomotives begin with an abbreviation for the traction type – “El” for electric, “Di” for diesel. The common notation BM 71 comes from the Norwegian word “motorvogn” for railcar and refers to the same vehicle.
That already settles the most important distinction: the BM71 is not a locomotive with carriages, but a fixed unit of powered and unpowered cars. You can see this from a great distance by the continuous roofline and the uniform vehicle silhouette – the same principle as the Vy multiple units of Type 70.
The naming logic: type, number, running number
The Norwegian system is remarkably consistent and so quickly learned. It first distinguishes only two worlds.
Locomotive or multiple unit?
If an abbreviation like El or Di appears on the vehicle, it's a locomotive. If it reads "Type" plus a number, you're looking at a multiple unit.
Read the type number
The number stands for the type. Type 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 and 75 are seven different multiple-unit types – not variants of the same family.
Note the running number
Only the digits after the type number identify the individual unit. Without them, a sighting is only half documented.
Norwegian vehicles additionally carry a European vehicle number with the country code 76. How to quickly find and correctly read such numbers in operation is explained in the guide to finding train numbers and vehicle numbers.
Marketing names aren't type designations
Alongside type numbers, brand and product names also circulate for Norwegian multiple units. In the field, rely on the number on the vehicle – product names change with campaigns, but the type number stays.
Placement in railway operations: airport traffic as its own category
Airport feeders are a special case operationally. They serve few stops, are laid out for luggage and short journey times, and often appear as a distinct brand – even where they use the same tracks from Bane NOR as the rest of local transport.
| Feature | Airport express | Classic regional service |
|---|---|---|
| Stops | few, deliberately chosen | dense stop network |
| Interior | laid out for luggage | laid out for commuter capacity |
| Appearance | own brand and livery | local-transport operator’s livery |
| Vehicle variety | one type dominates | several types mixed |
| Rate of change | high, frequent modernisation | medium, tied to transport contracts |
The last row is why this page deliberately gives no current timetable or fleet figures: airport services are reorganised more often than the rest of local transport. Service pattern, fleet and even the operator can change. Treat any statement about deployment as a snapshot and check it before travelling.
Know what's running before you fly
Community sightings show you which vehicles were most recently reported – abroad too.
Multiple unit or locomotive? The quick test
Many misidentifications abroad happen not from a lack of detail knowledge, but from getting the basic category wrong. This finder narrows it down in three questions.
Quickly classify a Norwegian traction vehicle
Electric multiple unit
A fixed unit, a pantograph, "Type" plus a number: that's the group the Flytoget BM71 also belongs to. Now the type number decides which exact type it is.
Loco-hauled train
An abbreviation like El or Di and separate carriages behind it point to a locomotive. That rules out multiple-unit types.
Diesel vehicle
With no overhead line and radiator housings, you're on a non-electrified line. Electric types are completely ruled out here.
If you want to get better at telling multiple-unit families apart in general, the comparison distinguishing FLIRT, Talent and Desiro helps – the features explained there, such as gangways, bogie arrangement and door spacing, also work in Norway.
Photography at the airport station
Airport stations are photographically tricky: lots of artificial light, mixed colour temperatures, little space and dense passenger traffic. On the plus side, dwell times are predictable.
- Wide angle on the platform works better than telephoto: the space is tight, and one end of the platform is rarely freely accessible.
- Set white balance manually, otherwise images tip yellowish or greenish under platform lighting.
- Respect the passengers: an airport platform is not a photo studio. Anyone waiting has luggage and is short on time.
- Preserve your shot data: location and time from the metadata make matching things up much easier later – how to use them systematically is shown in the article on using EXIF data in spotting.
Platform edge and operational railway land
Tracks and operational railway land are off limits – abroad just as much as at home. On the platform, the safety line is the boundary, even if a train appears to be pulling in slowly. In winter months, slipperiness from tracked-in snow and meltwater adds to the risk: platform surfaces are then considerably more slippery than they look.
Common mix-ups
It points to a BM71 if …
- the vehicle is marked "Type 71" or "BM 71" plus a running number
- the train appears in a distinct brand livery
- it's a fixed, through multiple-unit formation
- you're standing at airport services in the Oslo area
Look more closely if …
- several units are running coupled and you only see one number
- the train is running in an altered or wrapped livery
- you encounter it away from airport services
It's not a BM71 if …
- a separate locomotive is hauling the train
- the marking names a different type number
- the vehicle is diesel-powered or runs without an overhead line
In the Oslo area, the most obvious mix-up candidates are the local-transport multiple units – for instance the older Type 69 or the more modern FLIRT units of Type 74. They differ clearly in livery, interior and type number, but share platforms and lines.
Conclusion
The Flytoget BM71 is a vehicle that a traveller almost inevitably sees, yet a spotter often overlooks. And yet it’s the best introduction to Norwegian multiple-unit logic: “Type” plus a number, a fixed unit, its own brand. Once you’ve internalised these three points, you’ll place any Norwegian multiple unit within seconds afterwards – and know which figures you need to check yourself, because they change.
In short
A fixed unit, a pantograph, a distinct brand livery and "Type 71" on the car body: that's Oslo's airport express. You won't see it in Germany – but practically every trip to Norway starts with it.
Travel sightings with number and location
Record every unit individually – that turns a week's holiday into a complete overview of the vehicles you actually saw.
Summary
- The BM71 is the electric multiple unit of Oslo's airport express and appears as its own brand alongside the rest of local transport.
- Its designation follows Norwegian multiple-unit logic: "Type" plus a number, supplemented by a running number for the individual unit.
- To tell it apart from Vy multiple units, livery, platform and type number count – in that order.
- Airport services are especially changeable: service pattern, operator and vehicles are adjusted more often than in classic regional traffic.
Frequently asked questions
What does the designation Type 71 or BM71 mean?
Norway designates multiple units with the word "Type" and a number. Type 71 is thus a distinct multiple-unit type. The notation BM 71, common in lists, refers to the Norwegian term "motorvogn" for railcar. Both notations mean the same vehicle.
How do I tell the Flytoget train apart from a Vy multiple unit?
Quickest via the brand livery and markings: the airport express appears as its own brand and looks noticeably different from general local-transport vehicles. If any doubt remains, the type number on the vehicle settles it – it appears together with the running number on the car body.
Does the BM71 also run outside airport services?
The type was procured for airport feeder services in the Oslo area. What other workings it might additionally cover depends on the service pattern and operational needs and can change. So don't rely on older overviews, but on the current timetable.
What electrification system does the train run on?
15 kV at 16.7 Hz, the same AC system as Germany, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland. For German-speaking observers, that's the most familiar part of the Norwegian railway: overhead-line designs and pantographs follow familiar principles.
Can I see the BM71 in Germany?
No. The train runs in Norway and has no regular service in Germany. For you that means it's a travel vehicle. Anyone flying via Oslo anyway, though, has it right in front of them almost automatically – the airport express is part of the journey there.
What makes the airport express interesting for spotters?
The clear separation from the rest of the traffic. At the very same platforms, vehicles of a distinct brand meet general local transport – a good practice ground for comparing different multiple-unit families side by side and getting used to Norwegian type-number logic.
How do I document a sighting properly?
With type number, running number, date and location. For multiple units it's also worth checking whether several units are running coupled – the formation changes with demand and is information that doesn't show up in plain vehicle lists.
Do the fleet and service pattern of the airport express change often?
More often than in classic regional traffic. Airport feeder services are under particular competitive and modernisation pressure, so service pattern, frequency and fleet are reviewed regularly. Treat any statement about deployment as a snapshot and check it before a trip.
Log your sighting of the Flytoget BM71
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
NSB/Vy BM70 (Signatur)
Type 70, BM70, Signatur – three names, one vehicle. This page shows which one is actually marked on the train and which you'd better not rely on for identification.
EMUVy BM69
The BM69 is Norway's older local multiple unit design. Its correct name is Type 69 – and it's the best example of how long-lived Norwegian vehicles are.
EMUVy BM74 (Stadler FLIRT)
The BM74 is one of several Norwegian FLIRT types. Barely distinguishable from outside, unambiguous by type number – here's how to go about it in the field.
EMUVy BM72 (Talent)
The BM72 is Norway's electric Talent. If you know the Talent family from Germany, you'll recognise it straight away – despite a different designation and different colours.
EMUVy BM73 (Stadler FLIRT)
Type 73 is a Norwegian electric multiple unit type assigned to the FLIRT family. This page shows how to identify it in the field – and why the number on the train decides.
EMUVy BM75 (Stadler FLIRT)
The BM75 is a Norwegian FLIRT for regional services. This page shows how to identify it and what a spotting trip to Norway really requires.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Where to see the Flytoget BM71
Specific viewpoints with lighting times, coordinates and an honest verdict on whether the trip is worth it.
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