[8] A significant part of the Siemens contribution is based on the company's work delivering the Oslo Metro MX3000 fleet between 2005 and 2012; the bogies are derived from the lightweight and low-height SF 1000 model used on vehicles for both Oslo and Nuremberg,[3][9] and the weather-proofing – including the hermetic sealing of much of the power electronics equipment – is especially configured to guard against ice and snow ingress.

[10][6] This improves reliability, as on-board drive failures affect only individual vehicles while the rest of the train continues to function.

Notably, they are the first trains on the Berlin S-Bahn to have air-conditioning fitted in the passenger saloons; due to height limitations imposed by the network's structure gauge, part of the system is installed under the vehicle floors.

[5][note 1] CCTV is fitted throughout the trains, which can be remotely accessed by the network security centre in the event that an emergency alarm is activated.

[13] DB Regio subsidiary S-Bahn Berlin GmbH awarded a contract for the construction of 85 four-car and 21 two-car trains to the Stadler-Siemens consortium in December 2015.

[19] The first passenger services with the new trains started on 1 January 2021, on line S47 between Hermannstraße and Spindlersfeld, although these used a subfleet of 10 pre-production units and were technically still considered to be tests.