Integral in Wuppertal

The Integral is a weird train. From one of the big early failures of the modern generation of light-weight DMUs, it managed to become a successful train that its operator wanted to buy more of, and now it's survived longer than I could have ever imagined. I've taken pictures of it before in its semi-native Bavaria (it's actually austrian, but Bavaria is the only place that bought them), but now they, much like me, have moved and are now living in North-Rhine Westphalia.

Their specific home is the S28 line from originally Kaarst via Neuss and Düsseldorf to Mettmann, which used to run with Bombardier Talent DMUs and later also acquired some used DMUs from Hamburg. The line recently got extended from Mettman to Wuppertal, providing more connectivity and a second (if slower) link between Düsseldorf and Wuppertal. The plan was to electrify the whole route along with it, but they couldn't find any company that was able to do the work in time.

They did already buy new EMUs for the electric line, Stadler FLIRT 3XL, which are now running elsewhere. To deal with the expected higher traffic in the meantime, though, they looked for an interim solution, and decided on the Integral of all things. It's basically the same age as their old Talent trains, but it's longer and has more horsepower. The trains seem to be working just fine here. The paint scheme got only minor updates, and you can still find stickers that say where you can't store skiers, but generally they seem to be right at home here.

They won't be around forever, of course. The electrification plan is still ongoing, and it seems they found someone; construction will start in 2024 and be finished in 2026. What are the chances that the Integral, an old DMU from a long-defunct manufacturer, will get a third life after that? I have absolutely no idea, I never expected it to get a second one to begin with. But I suppose if you want to see them, there's no time like the present.