[3] The sets were built by ABB Scandia (later purchased by Adtranz, which itself was subsequently acquired by Bombardier Transportation) in Randers.

A number of train sets have been exported to Sweden, Israel, Spain, USA, Canada, France, Germany and Portugal.

When two or more trainsets are coupled together in a single train, the entire front door folds away to give a wide passage, and the rubber diaphragms at the ends form a flush aerodynamic seal.

Similarly in Spain, the national rail operator Renfe operates some IC3 derivatives classified as RENFE Class 594 on the Valladolid - Zamora - Puebla de Sanabria, Coruña - Ferrol, Coruña - Lugo - Monforte de Lemos and Madrid - Soria routes since 1997 as a medium-range regional service (Media Distancia) The Class 594 trains were built by CAF under a technology license agreement from ABB Scandia.

Some Class 594 units were refurbished in the 2010s and as a consequence have had their rubber diaphragms removed in favour of conventional cab ends.

Amtrak used it on the Hiawatha, St Louis and Kansas City Mules, San Diegan, and between Eugene and Portland, Oregon; Via Rail Canada tested it for services on the Windsor–Quebec corridor.

After a few years, a new concept emerged, the so-called APO-lyntog [da], which were workgroups tasked with specific areas.

Several requirements were made: primarily to use air-conditioning for cooling and heating of passenger areas, and be able to use either electric or diesel propulsion.

In order to avoid propulsion units in the train (and thus reducing variants and development costs), it was designed to use a locomotive to haul it, and equip the end wagons with driver cabins.

In 1983, the group responsible for the timetables had made a set of requirements for the ideal future train for the InterCity traffic.

The requirements were based on experience with the prototype (which had now become known as IC5; not to be confused with the new electric Alstom Coradia Stream trains ordered by DSB in 2021[7]): it should be light-weight (preferably built of aluminium), its passenger compartments should have fixed windows and air conditioning, it should be self-propelled, it should use standard engine and transmission components from the bus and truck industry, and it should be fast and easy to add carriages (by coupling with another trainset); along with a number of technical requirements.

A train of similar size and capacity, consisting of conventional wagons, would weigh approximately the same as originally estimated.

The task of developing the IC3 was assigned to a joint-group of designers and technical engineers from DSB itself and the factory Scandia (now a part of the Bombardier corporation).

The first IC3 set was delivered in 1988, but unfortunately suffered from a number of teething problems, primarily due to its (at the time very advanced) computer systems.

[8] In 2018, the first six ERTMS-retrofitted IC3 trains left the workshop at Langå, with the conversions performed by Alstom with technical assistance from Banedanmark and DSB.

[12] In 2021, Israel Railways announced its intention to retire its IC3 fleet, in light of the introduction of Siemens Desiro HC electric multiple units and newer fifth-generation Bombardier Double-deck Coaches.

The trains were withdrawn from timetabled services in November 2023 but retained as backup,[13] and completely retired on 28 January 2024.

In 2021, the Maritime and Commercial Court ruled that Deutz AG had misused a dominant market position in 2010 regarding replacement motor parts.

[15][16] The remaining Swedish Y2 fleet is due to be replaced by new CAF Civity Nordic electric and bi-modal trains, expected 2024–2027.

The MFA and MFB are, from a technical point of view, identical and only differ slightly in the interior design.

The engines are mounted so that the end which would normally point forwards in a rear-wheel-drive car, instead faces the center of the MFA and MFB carriages.

Due to this mounting design and nature of combustion engines and to the fact that the train runs forward in both directions, a so-called "reverse gear" had to be attached to automatic gearboxes.

This is due to the "low-floor entrance" feature included in the design, where part of the floor and doors between the two bogies are "sunken" to a height of 60 cm (23.6 inches) from the top of the rails.

However, due to financial issues, and the fact that it would probably not be used, this module was not included in the trains (although it can easily be added if needed).

The third and newest of the IC3's offspring is specifically designed for use in the regional traffic in areas surrounding the Øresund Bridge.

On 28 December 2010, an IC3 train in Israel caught fire due to a technical failure, injuring 121 people.

[23] The cause of the fire was not an electrical short, as first suspected, but a mechanical problem with the cardan joint, which is located next to the fuel tank in the train.