The DB Class 628 is a twin-car, diesel multiple unit operated by the Deutsche Bahn for local passenger rail services.

(The following description is primarily related to the Class 628.4, and is largely valid for the other variants as well) Each coach rests on two twin-axle bogies.

On some 628s, new passenger information systems with automatic announcements and displays for the next stop have been installed and in many regions ticket machines have also been fitted, as had been planned in the design.

When traction conditions are poor, the 628 may not reach the speeds required by the timetable due to its low adhesive weight.

On newer vehicles, such as the Desiro (642), the Talent (643 and 644) or the LINT (648), which have partly replaced the 628s, two power cars have been used and the higher resultant costs accepted.

Initially it did not go into production, because for political reasons local passenger rail services were just being reorganised and it was not yet clear, which and how many vehicles would be needed.

Technical data for the transmission: The reversing gear is combined with the fluid drive and serves to change the direction or running.

Together with a few other changes, such as a simplified electrical system, the omission of one of the two toilets and one of the four entrances each side, and the installation of equipment to enable one-man operation, the new variant was even more economical.

Externally the front and back were more angled, the triple headlamp was moved down and a train destination display added in order to improve the vehicle's appearance and to keep passengers better informed.

At the Kiel locomotive depot (Betriebswerk) several of these railcars were driven for a while at up to 140 km/h (87 mph), but because this seriously increased wear and tear, these express duties were soon terminated again.

The Class 628.2 with the DB's Regionalbahn in Schleswig-Holstein was given a redesign with new seats, new interior decor, wheelchair ramps etc.

The lower window panes on the doors were omitted as they had occasionally been broken on its predecessors, the Class 628.2, by flying stones.

In order to install a double door at the close-coupled end of the two coaches in the multiple, they were both extended in length by about 50 cm each.

Between November 1992 and Januar 1996 a total of 309 railcars were built, of which several were delivered to other railway companies, including those in Luxembourg (see Operations) and Romania.

The seats have blue cushions and arm rests made of beech wood, the walls are silvery, the luggage section completely white, the windows are equipped with emergency hammers.

The colour of the entrance area is white, and in some cases larger bicycle sections were installed in the centre of the carriage.

In 1993/94 Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser (EVB) took delivery of five 628.4/928.4 sets, in 1994 Frankfurt-Königsteiner Eisenbahn (FKE) bought one 628.4/928.4 and, in 1995, two 628.9/629s.

These are identical with their counterparts in the DB apart from the company logo at the front: initially painted in peppermint green and white, but since 2001 in red livery.