Key takeaways
- The RABe 535 is a FLIRT multiple unit of BLS for regional and RegioExpress services, known day to day as the Lötschberger.
- Fastest way to spot it: one row of windows, articulated design, BLS markings, designation RABe 535.
- You recognise the articulated design by the bogie: it sits under the gangway, not under the centre of a section.
- FLIRT is a vehicle family, not a class – many railways run FLIRT units under quite different numbers.
- Areas of operation change with timetable years and contract awards – check the current status before your trip.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Single-deck electric multiple unit for regional and RegioExpress services |
|---|---|
| Designation | RABe 535 – R = fast-running, A = 1st class, B = 2nd class, e = electric |
| Type | Articulated multiple unit from the Stadler FLIRT family |
| Operator | BLS |
| Nickname | Lötschberger – named after the Lötschberg axis |
| UIC country code | 85 (Switzerland) |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Single-deck multiple unit with only one row of windows
- Articulated design: train sections share bogies at the gangways
- Smooth, rounded nose shape with no separate locomotive
- Designation RABe 535 and BLS markings on the vehicle
- Low-lying door areas with wide entrances
- Regional and RegioExpress destinations on the display
Updated: August 2026 – A single-deck, rounded multiple unit in BLS colours, whose bogies sit not under the centres of the sections but under the gangways: that’s the RABe 535, usually called the Lötschberger. This page explains the Swiss designation and the features of the articulated design, and shows you how to tell the vehicle apart from similar multiple units.
Spotted a Lötschberger? Log the unit.
FLIRT multiple units look similar across Europe – only the vehicle number makes your sighting unambiguous.
What is the BLS RABe 535?
The BLS RABe 535 is a single-deck electric articulated multiple unit from the FLIRT family built by Stadler Rail, procured for BLS regional and RegioExpress services. It carries first and second class and runs as a single operational unit with no separate locomotive. The nickname Lötschberger refers to the Lötschberg axis, for whose services the vehicles were purchased. What that axis looks like is shown by the Lötschberg south ramp near Hohtenn.
Operationally, the train sits between two worlds. It has the comfortable, low-lying boarding of a local-service vehicle, but is designed for longer runs than a pure S-Bahn multiple unit. In the south, these runs extend over the Simplon as far as Domodossola. Within the BLS fleet, it therefore sits between the local-service multiple unit RABe 525 “Nina” and the double-deck RABe 515 “MUTZ”, which is optimised for high capacity rather than long runs.
Reading the designation: RABe 535 in the Swiss system
Swiss vehicle designations are built from three components you can read individually.
Capital letters: classes and compartments
For multiple units, they name the fit-out of the vehicle: A first class, B second class, D luggage compartment. A leading R marks a fast-running vehicle.
Lower-case letters: the technology
The lower-case e stands for electric traction. On Swiss mountain railways you'll instead, or additionally, find an h for rack-and-pinion drive – a letter that immediately tells you it's getting steep.
Number: number series or fraction
Modern multiple units carry three-digit number series like 535. Older vehicles carry a fraction: numerator equals powered axles, denominator equals total axles, for example Re 4/4. Roman numerals after it denote successive build series.
With that, the name is read: fast-running electric multiple unit with first and second class, number series 535. How to turn this system into a fixed sequence of observations is described in the guide to identifying classes.
Recognising the articulated design: the bogie gives it away
The most interesting feature of the RABe 535 sits underneath. On classic rakes of coaches, every coach has two bogies of its own. On an articulated multiple unit, two neighbouring sections share a bogie that sits exactly under the gangway between them.
Count bogies, not coaches
On a multiple unit, count the bogies and the gangways between sections. If a bogie sits under every gangway, it's an articulated unit. You can spot this feature even in moderate light and from some distance – unlike markings.
This design has several operational consequences: the unit is shorter and lighter than a rake of coaches of the same length, it runs more smoothly, but it can’t easily be split. For spotters that means: what you see is the whole unit – extra capacity comes from coupling several trains together, not from adding individual coaches.
| Observation | What you see | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Window rows | one | rules out double-deck vehicles |
| Bogie position | under the gangways | articulated multiple unit |
| Front of the train | no separate locomotive | multiple unit, not a push-pull train |
| Door area | low-lying, wide | designed for fast passenger turnover |
| Markings | BLS, RABe 535 | unambiguous identification |
| Destination board | regional or RegioExpress line | matches the service profile |
Fleet and lines are subject to change
Which services are worked with the RABe 535 changes with timetable changes, contract awards and vehicle availability. Use current information and community sightings rather than older overviews from the internet.
See which unit is running right now
Current community sightings help you deliberately catch a specific unit.
Photo tips for FLIRT multiple units
FLIRT multiple units are pleasant but unspectacular subjects: smooth surfaces, a rounded front, little structure. That makes what you build around them all the more important.
Three-quarter view instead of a front-on shot
Around 30 to 45 degrees to the vehicle axis shows the front and side at once. The rounded nose shape looks more three-dimensional this way than in a purely front-on shot.
The articulation joint as a detail shot
A tight shot of the gangway with the bogie underneath documents the design better than any wide shot – and is a subject hardly anyone takes.
Look for flat light
In the morning and late afternoon, the light traces the edges. Midday light makes the large smooth surfaces look flat and produces hard shadows.
Photograph the markings separately
Because FLIRT trains look similar across Europe, the shot of the vehicle number is the real proof of your sighting. Plan it in as a fixed step.
Which focal length you need for clean three-quarter views and for shots of the markings is covered in the guide to the best telephoto lens for railway photography. And on the platform, without exception: stay behind the safety line, don’t step onto tracks or operational installations – the basics are covered in the article on the safe distance from the track.
It also helps to think of the BLS fleet as a system rather than a list of individual vehicles. Broadly speaking, there are three jobs: dense local services with many stops, RegioExpress services with longer gaps between stops, and high-capacity services on heavily used axes. Each of these jobs leads to a different vehicle type – low-floor and short, single-deck and medium-length, double-deck and tall.
So if you’re standing on a platform and can’t place a vehicle straight away, it helps to ask: what job does this train do? At Bern Hauptbahnhof you can run through all three types in a single session. A glance at the destination board, the spacing of stops and the door arrangement usually answers this in seconds – and narrows the possible types down to one or two. The markings then only confirm what you already suspect. This order is considerably more reliable than trying to memorise vehicle shapes individually.
Common mix-ups
It points to the RABe 535 if …
- a single-deck articulated multiple unit is in front of you
- the bogies sit under the gangways
- the markings read BLS
- the vehicle carries RABe 535
Look more closely if …
- a FLIRT from another operator is in the frame – the family resemblance is strong
- you only see one section in the middle of the train
- the markings are unreadable because of backlighting or dirt
It isn't a RABe 535 if …
- you count two rows of windows, one above the other
- every coach has two bogies of its own
- the markings name a different operator or a different number series
The greatest risk of confusion doesn’t come from other BLS vehicles, but from FLIRT multiple units of other operators. A good comparison case is the RABe 533 from the FLIRT Evo generation: the same vehicle family, a different generation, a different number series. How to reach an unambiguous identification via the full vehicle number in such cases is explained in the article on the UIC number and its structure.
Verdict
The RABe 535 is a vehicle whose identification runs on two levels: you can see the type – single-deck articulated multiple unit – from 200 metres, but the operator and number series only up close. Because the FLIRT family is so widespread, there’s no way around checking the markings. In return, the train rewards you with a detail many people overlook: the shared bogie under the gangway.
In short
One row of windows, bogies under the gangways, BLS markings: that's the Lötschberger. You recognise the type from a distance, but only the vehicle number tells you which specific unit it is.
Log which unit you've seen
Number, line, date and photo in one app – so many similar trains turn into an organised collection.
Summary
- The RABe 535 combines local-service comfort with longer runs, making it tailored to RegioExpress services on the Lötschberg axis.
- The Swiss designation names classes and traction, while the nickname refers to the route it's named after.
- Because FLIRT multiple units are widespread across Europe, identification usually comes down to the operator's markings.
- Photographically, the articulated gangways are worth a look – that's where the feature that defines the type sits.
Frequently asked questions
What does the designation RABe 535 mean?
R stands for a fast-running vehicle, A for first class, B for second class, and the lower-case e for electric traction. The 535 is BLS's three-digit number series. The designation doesn't include a D for a luggage compartment.
Why is the train called Lötschberger?
The nickname refers to the Lötschberg axis, for whose services the vehicles were procured. Nicknames like this are common in Switzerland and more familiar in everyday use than the technical designation, but for documenting a sighting, it's the vehicle number that counts.
What is a FLIRT?
FLIRT is Stadler's product name for a multiple-unit family that runs in many countries and versions. Vehicles from the same family can differ substantially in length, traction and fit-out. So family membership tells you something about the type, but little about the specific service it's on.
How do I recognise the articulated design?
By the position of the bogies. On an articulated multiple unit, a bogie sits under the gangway between two train sections, and those two sections share that bogie. Count the bogies: if there are fewer than you'd expect with individually running coaches, you're looking at an articulated unit.
How do I tell RABe 535 and RABe 525 apart?
Both are single-deck BLS multiple units, but belong to different types and number series. The markings on the vehicle are the quickest help. The nose shape and window layout also differ; anyone who sees both often enough will tell them apart at a glance with a little practice.
Does the RABe 535 also run long-distance services?
It's a vehicle for regional and RegioExpress services, so for traffic between local services and classic long-distance services. Exactly which services it runs depends on the timetable year. Rely on current information rather than older diagram overviews.
Where am I most likely to see the RABe 535?
On BLS lines in regional and RegioExpress services. Major interchange hubs with longer dwell times are the most rewarding for observation and photography, because you can read the markings there at leisure. Check the current line allocation before your trip.
What belongs in a good sighting note?
Vehicle number, date, location and line. Swiss vehicles carry the country code 85 in the UIC number. Because FLIRT multiple units look similar across many networks, the full number is the only truly unambiguous identifier.
Log your sighting of the BLS RABe 535 (Lötschberger)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
BLS 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 515 (MUTZ)
The RABe 515 'MUTZ' is BLS's double-deck multiple unit from the Stadler KISS family. Here's how to read the Swiss designation and recognise it on the platform.
EMURABe 533 (Stadler FLIRT Evo)
The RABe 533 belongs to Stadler's FLIRT Evo generation. Here's how to read the Swiss designation, spot the articulated build and tell it apart from older FLIRTs.
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.
EMUSBB Class RABe 531
The RABe 531 is an electric multiple unit from SBB. This page shows how to identify it reliably through the Swiss designation and a fixed chain of features.
EMUSOB RABe 526 (Silberfischli)
The SOB RABe 526 is nicknamed “Silberfischli” (little silverfish) because of its silvery, pale bodyshell. Here's how to recognise it and get it nicely in the picture.
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 535 (Lötschberger)
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.
Border stationDomodossola
The Simplon ends at Domodossola. Swiss multiple units and Italian regional sets stand side by side, freight locomotives change electrification systems here, and a metre-gauge railway into the Centovalli begins beneath the station. There's no better place in Italy for cross-border traffic.
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.
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