It is the first model to allow passengers to freely walk through the entire length of the train, as opposed to having multiple closed off compartments.

After the reunification of Germany, the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) saw an urgent need for more trains, as well as a new, more uniform model for both the East and the West to use.

It was also the first model introduced in Berlin to feature open gangways, allowing for free movement through the whole length of the train.

That feature was eventually installed in the rest of the Berlin U-Bahn subway fleet except for the BVG Class HK trains.

Each of the batches of H class trains delivered received its own name, with the prototypes being referred to as H95 and the versions of the two later, serial deliveries as H97 and H01 respectively.