In 1973, the Bundesbahn procured only three sets of a four-car high-speed train, which reached 200 km/h and was used as Intercity. The technology was based on the S-Bahn trains of the class 420 and here too all axles were powered. The problematic tilting mechanism soon had to be deactivated and their use as an Intercity ended in 1979. Between 1982 and 1993 they were used as the “Lufthansa Airport Express” between the Düsseldorf and Frankfurt airports in order to reduce domestic flights.

Towards the end of the 1960s, the Bundesbahn had the first S-Bahn multiple-unit train developed for alternating current networks, which was initially to run as the ET 20 with middle cars designated as the ET 21. The first services were to take place at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The first trains were given the class numbers 420 and 421 when they were put into service.

Each train consisted of three cars that had no gangways between them. In the middle car there was a first-class compartment, which was later either halved or completely replaced by second-class due to lack of demand. The sets could be coupled to form longer trains with little effort using Scharfenberg couplings. From the start, the middle cars were made of aluminum, and later the end cars were also made of aluminum instead of steel. All axles of the three cars were driven by nose-suspended motors and controlled by thyristors. Braking was usually electric and air brakes were only supplementary.

The production of the total of 480 sets was carried out by several manufacturers and lasted for a period of 28 years. These trains were used on virtually all West German S-Bahn networks that are electrified with the usual AC system via overhead lines and do not have their own DC system via third rail. In addition to Munich, these were also the S-Bahns Rhein-Ruhr, Rhein-Main, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

The points of criticism of the trains that were repeatedly cited were that there were no gangways between the cars, the individual sets always had to be used with three carsand there were no toilets for longer sections. For this reason, some trains of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn were handed over to Munich as early as 1980.

The class 420 trains were partly replaced by locomotive-hauled trains, but mostly by class 422, 423 and 430 multiple units. Some trains which had already been decommissioned were handed over to other regions when there was additional demand there. Some trains were used from 2002 in the Stockholm area as SL X420 and were scrapped in 2005. In 2006, two trains were upgraded inside and out as “ET 420 Plus”, but no other trains were converted. Although some are still in use today, 400 of the 480 sets have already been scrapped.

In 1971 two prototypes of the class 614 were built, which were a further development of the VT 24/VT 34. They have been designed to offer the greatest possible interoperability with the predecessor while still being able to take advantage of the latest developments. The peopulsion system remained basically the same as that already described in the predecessor with boxer engines arranged under the floor. In contrast to the later production vehicles, the prototypes were again given a curvature-dependent tilting control. In contrast to the predecessor, the car body tapers towards the top in order to be able to maintain the loading gauge even with a steep incline. In the series, the approval for 140 km/h was retained even without this technology.

The biggest changes compared to the predecessor were in the area of design. Even when looking from the outside, clear differences can be seen, especially on the streamlined front. The interior has also been thoroughly revised, for example individual seats with fabric covers were now installed. Trains could still be made up of two to four cars, with three-car trains with a trailer usually predominating and being used exclusively later on.

Since the technical changes to the predecessor were limited, both types could be used together with almost no restrictions. In some cases, not only entire units of both types were used in multiple, but multiple units were also formed from different vehicles. One of the combinations was a train consisting of a class 614 motor car with a matching trailer (914), followed by a trailer from the predecessor VT 34 (934) and the matching control car (634). At the time of the DB AG, the trains were modernized and some got new Caterpillar engines, each with 448 kW, since the engine power was classified as far too weak, especially with trailers on gradients. The retirement of the last of the 42 units built was completed in 2010. Two pieces were sold to Romania.

Larger multiple units consisting of two four-axle cars were developed as successors to the railbuses on branch lines. There are several sub-variants, with most vehicles having only one engine in one of the two cars. They were used all over Germany, with the variants with two engines being used more in mountainous regions. Since the turn of the millennium, they have been increasingly replaced by more modern vehicles that have better acceleration and air conditioning. Today, most of the remaining vehicles are used by the Südostbayernbahn in Lower and Upper Bavaria.

ET 30 referred to 24 electric multiple units that were built in 1956 for local express trains in the Ruhr area. They were based on the ET 56, but had a significantly higher output and more modern traction electrics. There was no electric brake. At each end there was a power car with a driver's cab and between them usually one, sometimes two trailer cars with the designation EM 30.

Due to the lack of electrification, they were first used in the Munich and Nuremberg area and were later transferred to the Ruhr area. From 1968, the power cars were designated as class 430 and the trailer cars as the class 830. They were taken out of service between 1980 and 1985.

Under the designation ET 56, the Bundesbahn procured a total of seven three-car multiple units in the 1950s, which were intended for fast local transport. They each consisted of two motor cars and a trailer, which was designated EM 56. From 1968 the motor cars were given the computer numbers 456¹ and 456⁴, while the trailers became the class 846.

A special feature of these vehicles, which were created in the post-war period, was that their technology still came from pre-war railcars, but the exterior was adapted to newly developed locomotives and railcars. The transformers and nose-supended traction motors of some type ET 25, ET 31/32 and ET 55 motor cars were used, which were in the inventory of the Bundesbahn with external war damage.

Since the entire equipment was already installed under the floor, they formed a good basis for modern railcars. The outer bogie of the motor car was driven on both axles and with the gear ratio of the former ET 55 90 km/h was reached. The car bodies in modern design were constructed as load-bearing tubes, which ensured a clean external appearance. The lower part formed skirts in which the aggregates were housed. There was a capacity of 262 seats per train and for expansion, several multiple units could be coupled together and driven in multiple traction.

The first area of application was the Stuttgart area, where they ran until 1970. They then came to Heidelberg, where the gear ratio was changed for a top speed of 110 km/h. The decommissioning lasted until 1986 and today none of the seven trains are left.

Since the eight prototypes of the ETA 176 series proved themselves, their successor in the form of the ETA 150 was built in series from 1954. Externally, the production vehicles not only differed from the ETA 176 in terms of the revised front end, but also in terms of their conventional buffers and screw couplings. This meant that conventional passenger or freight cars could also be carried, while the predecessors could only be coupled to the specially made control cars.

Since the ETA 150 only had a cab on one side, 216 control cars were built to be used with the 232 motor cars. With 23.40 m, they were shorter than their predecessors and were delivered with different layouts of the passenger compartment, which had a different number of seats in first and second class. The traction motors now each had 150 instead of 100 kW. In the course of production, larger and larger batteries were installed, which were exchanged for the largest available model every four years. Depending on the route, the range was between 250 and 400 km. Since the high weight of the battery hung between the bogies, the car bodies sagged over time, which led to the nickname “Hängebauchschwein” (pot-bellied pig).

Over time, the vehicles deployed in significant numbers received several nicknames, such as “Whistle Buoy” or “Maya the Bee” referring to the running noise. Otherwise, they were also called “Battery Flash”, “Acid Bucket”, “Socket Intercity” and “Flashlight Express”. They were used almost exclusively on flat land to prevent the batteries from draining too quickly. From 1968 the motor cars were redesignated as the class 515 and the control cars as the class 815. From the 1980s onwards, they were mainly replaced by class 628 diesel railcars and were completely phased out by 1995.

Shortly after it was founded, the Bundesbahn decided to purchase new railcars for branch lines with low operating costs. Looking back on the battery railcars successfully used by the Prussian State Railways and the Reichsbahn, it was decided to develop new battery railcars. Since ultimately it was also to be used on main routes, a maximum speed of up to 100 km/h was required without having to sacrifice the high acceleration when operating on secondary routes with many stops.

Finally, in 1952, the first two prototypes were delivered, the mechanical part of which came from Wegmann and the electrics from Siemens and AEG. This was followed in 1954 by three more with mechanical parts from Wegmann and WMD Donauwörth, all of which were supplied with the electrical part from Siemens. Since the vehicles only had a driver's cab at one end, eight corresponding driving trailers were built short time after.

The car bodies were designed with a stable floor pan that could carry the heavy batteries with a capacity of 940 ampere hours. Above that was the passenger compartment, which initially included first, second, and third class. From 1956 only the first and second class was run. Power was transmitted to one of the two bogies, which was equipped with two light, high-speed traction motors. These allowed a top speed of 90 km/h for the first two vehicles and 100 km/h for the remaining ones. Sufficient acceleration was ensured by permitting to overload the traction motors briefly to start off.

The vehicles were distributed over several depots, but were very rarely relocated during their lifetime due to the necessary charging facilities. Depending on the route profile, up to 250 miles could be covered with one battery charge and one charging process per day could be expected. From 1968 the powercars were listed as class 517 and the driving trailers as class 817. Electronic control and regenerative braking were later tested on the vehicles. Experience with these vehicles led to the development of the ETA 150, which went into series production from 1954. The eight ETA 176 were only retired between 1981 and 1984.

In 1951, the Waggonfabrik Wismar had built the modern VT 92 diesel railcar, which had space above one of the two bogies for a modern, high-speed diesel engine with 800 or 1,000 hp and a top speed of 120 km/h. The new, rounded head shape earned it the nickname “egghead” and characterized the diesel railcars of the Bundesbahn in the 1950s. While the single-car VT 92 still had a driver's cab at both ends and the rounded head shape, multi-car multiple units of the class VT 08⁵ with a similar design were soon being built.

The VT 08⁵ normally consisted of a power car, a trailer and a driving trailer. The technical data below refer to this composition. Four-car units were made up of one power car at each end and two trailers. A total of 20 power cars, 22 trailers and 13 driving trailers were built, which were used in varying combinations. Since the 140 km/h fast trains were intended for use in high-value long-distance traffic, the power cars included a dining room and a luggage and mail compartment. The last six power cars were primarily procured to form four-car trains and were designed as normal passenger cars on the inside.

On June 2, 1957, the Bundesbahn started TEE operations with the VT 08⁵. In the same year, the class VT 11⁵ multiple units began test operations, which soon replaced the VT 08⁵ from this role. In general, the electrification of the main lines progressed so quickly that soon fewer and fewer fast diesel railcars were needed. So soon only VT 12⁵ were built for regular intercity traffic and all cars of VT 08⁵ were rebuilt from 1962 for use in VT 12⁵ sets after some driving trailers that were no longer needed had already been rebuilt in 1957. For example, the dining rooms were removed from the first 14 power cars and the floor heights were adjusted to the other vehicles. The converted vehicles were classified as VT 12⁶ and again from 1968 under the class number 613. The last trains that were rebuilt up to 1971 were given the class number 608.

The VT 08⁸ was derived directly from the VT 08⁵ for use by the US Army in Germany. The two-car vehicles each consisted of a power car and a driving trailer. Two units were procured as parlor trains and four as hospital trains. Since they were not used with other vehicles, they had conventional screw couplings and sleeve buffers instead of the automatic Scharfenberg couplings. Five units were retired by 1974 and the remaining parlor train was used by the respective US ambassador until 1991. It was given a beige-red TEE livery in 1973 and underwent a conversion in the 1980s, during which it received full-width windscreens similar to the class 103.

The VT 10⁵ was a project for a lightweight articulated diesel train for intercity service jointly carried by the Bundesbahn, the German Sleeper and Dining Car Company (DSG) and the German Federal Post. It was designed by the office of Franz Kruckenberg and used many experiences in lightweight construction he had gained in the construction of the Rail Zeppelin and the SVT 137 155.

The trains featured a power car on each end and five trailers which were articulated on common bogies. The bodies were constructed of aluminium alloy. Each power car had two 118 kW MAN bus engines for propulsion which worked through a hydro-mechanical gearbox onto the leading two-axle bogie. Their power was later increased to 154 kW what increased top speed from 120 to 160 km/h. To provide head end power, each power car also had a 92 kW truck engine.

Of only two trainsets built, one was VT 10 501 that had been paid for by the Bundesbahn. It was used for the daytime “Senator” service and had five trailers which stood on one-axle bogies. The VT 10 551, paid for by the DSG, was intended for the nighttime “Komet”. It originally had five trailers which rested on two-axle Jacobs bogies. Later it was augmented by a sixth trailer.

After their first publicity tours in 1953, they were put into commercial service. Due to a multitude of failures, they often stood in the shop for repairs. 501 was retired in 1956 and 551 in 1958. A third mail train was only planned, but never built. In the end the maintenance was too expensive with six engines per train.