These units operate on non-electrified tracks, mostly on the Ljubljana–Novo Mesto–Metlika, Sevnica–Trebnje and Ljubljana–Kamnik lines.

Because of the previous colour scheme the units are popularly nicknamed "kanarček" (canary).

The units were designed in the MBB Donauwörth company in Germany with cooperation of Yugoslav engineers.

[3] The first five sets were built in MBB Donauwörth and finished in the TVT Boris Kidrič Maribor factory, and the rest of them (22 sets) were built in Maribor out of parts sent from Germany.

[3] The series was built in two versions, as a first-class business train (5 sets of subseries 713-0xx, in green colour scheme, with 92 revolvable seats, a kitchen and loudspeakers) and as a standard commuter train (22 sets of subseries 713-1xx, in yellow-and-orange colour scheme, with 128 seats).