The Talent 2 is a multiple-unit train for suburban and regional trains that was introduced by Bombardier in 2008. These are two- to six-car trains, which also suppor multiple working with up to four trainsets and, especially in the interior, can be set up flexibly for the respective area of application. Deutsche Bahn designates the end cars as class 442 and the middle cars as the 443 series.

Two cars each are connected by a Jakobs bogie, of which roughly every second one has two traction motors, each with 505 kW. For example, the four-car train could be ordered with either two or three powered bogies. Depending on the length of the train, this results in an output of 1,010, 2,020, 3,030 or 4,040 kW. The Talent 2 thus achieves the rapid acceleration of up to 1.1 m/s² required for S-Bahn trains and can also achieve a braking deceleration of 0.9 m/s² with the help of the installed magnetic rail brakes.

Within a short space of time, Deutsche Bahn ordered 295 units with a total volume of 1.2 billion euros. The certification was repeatedly plagued by technical problems, which were not only in the software or power train, but also in the insulation and soundproofing of the driver's cabs. This led to delays of about two years and subsequent conversions. DB Regio Bayern also had to provide the drivers with long underwear and electric blankets at times, which did not exactly have a positive effect on the image of the trains.

Two five-car trains from National Express in July 2016 in Bockum-Hövel

Rob Dammers

Finally, in March 2011, certification for the Nuremberg S-Bahn was granted, initially limited to 140 km/h. The operation started without the official takeover by the railway, since not all defects had been remedied. Since the trains are configured differently for each area of application, certification for each additional version had to be carried out separately. Over time, there were a total of 440 orders that were processed by 2019.