Key takeaways
- The RABe 515 is a double-deck multiple unit of BLS from the Stadler KISS family, built for regional and S-Bahn services.
- Fastest way to spot it: two rows of windows, no locomotive, BLS markings, designation RABe 515.
- The letters A and B show that both classes are carried – there's no D for luggage.
- The nickname MUTZ picks up on Bern's heraldic animal: Mutz is Bernese German for bear.
- Lines and diagrams change with timetable years and contract awards – check the current status.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Double-deck electric multiple unit for regional and S-Bahn services |
|---|---|
| Designation | RABe 515 – R = fast-running, A = 1st class, B = 2nd class, e = electric |
| Type | Double-deck multiple unit from the Stadler KISS family |
| Operator | BLS |
| Nickname | MUTZ – Bernese German for "bear" |
| UIC country code | 85 (Switzerland) |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Two rows of windows, one above the other, over most of the train's length
- A single continuous multiple unit with no separate locomotive
- Door areas sit low, with the body rising up to the upper deck in between
- Designation RABe 515 and BLS markings on the vehicle
- Regional and S-Bahn destination boards rather than long-distance destinations
- Body profile with a visible transition between the low and high sections
Updated: August 2026 – Two rows of windows one above the other, no locomotive at the front, BLS markings on the side: that’s the RABe 515, usually just called MUTZ around Bern. This page explains what the Swiss designation tells you, how to tell the train apart from other double-deck vehicles, and what matters when photographing it.
Spotted a MUTZ? Log the number.
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What is the BLS RABe 515?
The BLS RABe 515 is a double-deck electric multiple unit from the KISS family built by Stadler Rail, procured for BLS regional and S-Bahn services. It runs as a single continuous unit with no separate locomotive and carries both first and second class.
The nickname MUTZ picks up on Bern’s heraldic animal: Mutz is Bernese German for bear. Nicknames like this are the rule in Switzerland and more familiar in everyday use than the technical designation – though for a clean sighting log, it’s still the vehicle number that counts.
Operationally, the RABe 515 stands for a clear idea: more seats over the same train length. Where platforms can’t simply be extended, a second deck is the obvious answer. Within the BLS fleet it therefore stands alongside single-deck vehicles such as the RABe 525 “Nina”, which does a quite different job.
Reading the Swiss designation
The Swiss system tells you more than a German class number – once you know how to read it.
Capital letters = classes and compartments
For multiple units, the capital letters denote the classes and compartments carried: A first class, B second class, D luggage. A leading R marks a fast-running vehicle.
Lower-case e = electric
The lower-case e stands for electric traction. In Switzerland, lower-case letters consistently describe the technology, capital letters the fit-out of the vehicle.
Fraction or number series
Older vehicles carry a fraction: numerator equals powered axles, denominator equals total axles – for example Re 4/4 for all four axles powered. Modern multiple units like the RABe 515 get a three-digit number series instead.
The system applies far beyond this one vehicle. How to turn it into a fixed sequence of observations is described in the guide to identifying classes. The internationally valid vehicle number with the Swiss country code 85 is explained in the article on the UIC number and its structure.
Recognising it on the platform
Double-deck vehicles are easy to recognise but hard to tell apart from one another. The route to identification goes through three steps: shape, operator, designation.
| Observation | What you see | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Window rows | two, one above the other | double-deck vehicle |
| Front of the train | no separate locomotive | multiple unit, not a push-pull train with a locomotive |
| Operator markings | BLS | narrows it down significantly |
| Designation | RABe 515 | unambiguous identification |
| Destination board | regional or S-Bahn line | matches the service profile |
| Door area | set low, with the body rising up in between | typical double-deck profile |
Read the operator markings first
With double-deck multiple units from the same vehicle family, the operator is often quicker to recognise than the vehicle itself. Markings and livery narrow things down in one step, where you'd otherwise need several detail features.
Fleets and lines change
Which lines are worked with the RABe 515 and how many units are in service shifts with timetable changes, contract awards and deadlines. Use current information and community sightings rather than older overviews.
Double-deck multiple unit or push-pull train with a locomotive?
This distinction is the most common source of error on the Swiss network, because both variants look the same from a distance: a long row of tall vehicles with two rows of windows. The difference lies at the ends of the train.
A push-pull train consists of a separate locomotive and a rake of coaches with a driving trailer at the other end. The locomotive can be uncoupled and used elsewhere, carries its own designation following the pattern Re 4/4 or Re 460, and has a different body profile from the coaches behind it. A multiple unit like the RABe 515, by contrast, is a single operational entity: the traction equipment is distributed across the train, the vehicle is worked as a whole, and it carries a single designation.
In practice that means: look at the front of the train first. If there’s a vehicle there that’s clearly different in height, shape and window arrangement from the rest, it’s a locomotive – then you’re identifying the locomotive, not the train. If the body line, on the other hand, runs on without a break right up to the cab window, you’re looking at a multiple unit.
The second clue is the gangways. On a multiple unit they’re usually closely panelled and look like part of the bodywork; on a classic rake of coaches you’ll see more conventional bellows and buffers. The third is the markings: if the vehicle carries a designation with a fraction, or a plain locomotive number, it isn’t a multiple-unit set.
See what's out and about right now
Community sightings show you current vehicle workings – handy if you're after a specific unit.
Photo tips for double-deck multiple units
A tall body is an unrewarding subject: on the platform you stand too close and too low, and the vehicle tips backwards in the frame. Four points help.
Distance instead of wide angle
Move back as far as possible on the platform and work with a longer focal length. This reduces the converging lines a wide angle produces at close range.
A slightly raised viewpoint
From a publicly accessible footbridge or a higher part of the platform, the train looks more balanced. Operational installations and tracks remain off limits.
Use flat light
In the morning and late afternoon, the light traces the edges of the body. Midday light makes the large flat surfaces look flat and produces hard shadows under the roof.
Document the markings separately
A second, tighter shot of the vehicle number turns the subject into a verifiable sighting – the decisive difference with large series.
How to turn these individual shots into an evaluable collection, rather than just stacking them in your camera roll, is described in the guide to keeping a sighting log. And on the platform, without exception: stay behind the safety line, don’t step onto the track. The rules are summarised in the article on the safe distance from the track.
Common mix-ups
It points to the RABe 515 if …
- the train has two rows of windows, one above the other
- no separate locomotive runs at the front
- the markings read BLS
- the vehicle carries RABe 515
Look more closely if …
- another double-deck multiple unit from the same vehicle family is in the frame
- you only see one vehicle in the middle of the train
- the markings are unreadable because of backlighting or dirt
It isn't a RABe 515 if …
- the train is single-deck – then other BLS multiple units are more likely
- a separate locomotive is pushing or pulling a push-pull train at the front
- the designation names a different number series
Within the BLS fleet, the obvious neighbour is the single-deck RABe 535 “Lötschberger” for RegioExpress services – it’s ruled out immediately by the missing second row of windows. Distinguishing it from the SBB’s RABe 511, which comes from the same double-deck family, is considerably harder; here the operator’s markings settle it.
Verdict
The RABe 515 is a vehicle you can identify confidently in two steps: first the shape – double-deck, multiple unit, no locomotive – then the markings. That order is the fastest way to do it, because the shape is recognisable from 200 metres while the markings only become legible close up. Anyone wanting to document beyond the nickname notes the vehicle number.
In short
Two rows of windows, no locomotive, BLS markings: that's the MUTZ. For your collection, the vehicle number is what counts – with large multiple-unit series, it's the only piece of information that tells one sighting apart from the next.
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Summary
- Double-deck multiple units solve the capacity problem of short platforms in Swiss regional services: more seats over the same train length.
- The designation RABe 515 describes classes and traction, while the number series places the vehicle within the fleet.
- For identification, two rows of windows, the absence of a locomotive and the operator's markings are enough.
- Photographically, the tall body is demanding – flat light and a slightly raised viewpoint help.
Frequently asked questions
What does the designation RABe 515 mean?
R marks a fast-running vehicle, A first class, B second class, and the lower-case e electric traction. The 515 is the three-digit number series under which BLS runs these multiple units. There's no D for a luggage compartment in the designation.
What does the nickname MUTZ stand for?
The nickname picks up on Bern's heraldic animal – Mutz is Bernese German for bear. Nicknames like this are common in Switzerland and more familiar in everyday use than the technical designation, but they don't replace it for documentation purposes.
What's the fastest way to recognise the RABe 515?
By two rows of windows, one above the other, and the absence of a locomotive. A double-deck train running as a single continuous unit is a double-deck multiple unit. The BLS markings and the designation RABe 515 on the vehicle confirm the identification.
What is a KISS multiple unit?
KISS is Stadler's product name for its double-deck multiple-unit family. It's procured by various railways in different lengths and fit-outs. That means two KISS units can look similar yet belong to different operators and number series.
How do I tell the RABe 515 and RABe 511 apart?
Both are double-deck multiple units from the KISS family, but belong to different operators and number series. The markings are the quickest help: BLS for the RABe 515, SBB for the RABe 511. Livery and detail design also differ, but the designation is the reliable route.
Why are double-deck trains used in regional services?
Because platform length at stations is limited. A second deck delivers noticeably more seats over the same train length without platforms needing to be extended. On heavily used S-Bahn and regional lines, that's the decisive advantage over single-deck vehicles.
Where does the RABe 515 run?
On BLS regional and S-Bahn services. Exactly which lines and diagrams are worked by the RABe 515 changes with timetable years, contract awards and vehicle availability. So check the current status via timetable information and community sightings.
What belongs in a good sighting note?
The full vehicle number, date, location and line. Swiss vehicles carry the country code 85 in the UIC number. With multiple units from a large series, the number is the only piece of information that tells one sighting apart from the next.
Log your sighting of the BLS RABe 515 (MUTZ)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
SBB Class RABe 511 (Regio-Dosto)
The RABe 511 is the SBB's double-deck electric multiple unit for regional and RegioExpress services. Here's how to read the designation and tell it apart from a loco-hauled push-pull set.
EMUBLS RABe 525 (Nina)
The RABe 525 'Nina' is BLS's low-floor local-service multiple unit. Here's how to read its Swiss designation and recognise it with confidence on the platform.
EMUBLS RABe 535 (Lötschberger)
The RABe 535 'Lötschberger' is BLS's single-deck FLIRT multiple unit for RegioExpress services. Here's how to recognise it confidently and read its designation.
EMUSBB Class RABe 523 (FLIRT)
The RABe 523 is a Swiss FLIRT series for regional traffic. Because several series share the same design, the series number decides – here's how to read it correctly.
EMUSBB Class RABe 524
The RABe 524 is an electric multiple unit from SBB's FLIRT family. Here's what the designation means and how to identify it beyond doubt.
EMUSBB Class RABe 526 (Thurbo FLIRT)
Several quite different vehicles in Switzerland carry the series 526. Here's how to identify the Thurbo FLIRT and avoid mixing it up with its namesakes.
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 BLS RABe 515 (MUTZ)
Specific viewpoints with lighting times, coordinates and an honest verdict on whether the trip is worth it.
Bern Hauptbahnhof
Bern is the hub the Swiss timetable is built around. Two major railway companies share the same platforms, a narrow-gauge railway with its own terminus lies beneath the station – and the platforms are among the narrowest in the country.
Mountain lineLötschberg South Ramp at Hohtenn
Above the Rhone valley, the Lötschberg mountain line of 1913 runs like a balcony along the rock face: stone viaducts, galleries, tunnel portals and behind them Valais's four-thousand-metre peaks. Since the base tunnel opened, less runs here – but the high trail remains one of the best railway walks in Europe.
Related guides from the blog
