Vy BM72 (Talent)

Updated: August 2026 – An articulated train with short car sections, wide gangways and strikingly few bogies: if you know the Talent family from Germany or Austria, you’ll recognise the Norwegian BM72 straight away despite the unfamiliar colours and designation. This page shows you why that is and how to classify the type properly.

What is the Vy BM72?

The BM72 is an electric multiple unit of the Talent family from Bombardier Transportation, used in Norwegian local and regional services. In the country’s system its correct name is Type 72: Norway designates multiple units with the word “Type” and a sequential number, whereas locomotives get an abbreviation for the type of traction – “El” for electric, “Di” for diesel. The widely used short form BM 72 comes from the Norwegian word “motorvogn” for railcar.

For spotters from German-speaking countries the vehicle is particularly interesting because it builds a bridge: the Talent also runs in Germany and Austria – there, however, under completely different designations, such as Class 643 or ÖBB 4024. The same design idea, three countries, three designation systems.

Jacobs bogies: the one feature that always works

The Talent family is an articulated train. That means: between two car sections there is only one bogie, on which both car ends rest together. This design principle is called a Jacobs bogie, and it can be recognised from the side from a long way off.

The Talent shares these features with other articulated train families, above all the Stadler FLIRT. How to tell the families apart is explained in the comparison telling FLIRT, Talent and Desiro apart; the basic order for identification is set out in the guide to identifying classes.

Place in railway operations

The Talent family was developed for local and regional services: short distances between stops, quick passenger exchange, low entrances. In Norway, Vy adds requirements that Central European operators don’t have in the same way.

Aspect	In Germany	In Norway
Usual traction of the Talent family	mostly diesel-powered in regional service	electric under 15 kV / 16.7 Hz
Designation	three-digit class number	“Type” plus a number
Winter equipment	depending on the situation	standard throughout
Line environment	dense network, many junctions	long sections, lower train frequency
Variety of vehicles at the platform	very high	manageable, few types

The last row is good news for spotters: in Norway you’re dealing with a few clearly distinguished types. If you know type numbers 69 to 75, you can classify practically all of the country’s electric local services – an hour’s effort that would take weeks in Germany.

The reverse perspective is interesting too: because the same vehicle family was procured in several countries, it shows particularly well what a manufacturer decides and what the customer decides. The basic design – articulated construction, Jacobs bogies, modular length – stays the same everywhere. Traction, interior, door layout, winter equipment and markings, on the other hand, are the result of national requirements. Once you’ve seen a vehicle family in two countries, you understand this difference better than from any description. That’s exactly why it’s worth keeping sightings from abroad not separately but in the same log as your home ones: only in direct comparison does it become visible how far a family reaches.

What the winter design visibly changes

Norwegian vehicles are designed for snow, cold, long gradients and many tunnels. These requirements produce visible details that you can describe without resorting to technical data:

• Sturdy snowploughs on the front, considerably more massive than on comparable Central European multiple units.
• Protected ventilation and cooling openings, so that drifting snow can’t get in.
• Heated components on windscreens, doors and steps – recognisable in winter by surfaces free of snow and ice.
• Heavy dirt in the winter half of the year, which can make markings illegible.

The last point is the most relevant in practice: if you can’t read the number, you need the design principle. That’s exactly why counting bogies is so valuable – it works even under a layer of grime.

Spotting and photography

Which focal length suits which situation is covered in the guide to the best telephoto lens for railway photography.

Common mix-ups

The most common mix-up is with the FLIRT types, such as the Type 73 – both are articulated trains with Jacobs bogies. Telling it apart from older types such as the Type 69 or the Type 70 is much easier.

Conclusion

The BM72 is the vehicle that spotters from German-speaking countries are most likely to get stuck on in Norway – because they know the shape but not the designation. That’s exactly where its learning value lies: you recognise the vehicle family by its design principle, the type by its type number, and both together make a reliable identification. Once you’ve practised that, it’ll help you in every European country.