Keeping 1,600 KM of Transit on Track
How Rheinbahn in Germany Monitors 1,550+ Stations with VuWall Technology
Each year, over 210 million passengers rely on the Rheinbahn network to navigate Western Germany. Spanning approximately 1,600 km, the transportation system connects Düsseldorf, Meerbusch, and the district of Mettmann through an extensive network of trains, streetcars, and buses.
Ensuring seamless operations across such a vast infrastructure requires more than just vehicles on the road—it demands a sophisticated technical backbone. A robust IT network supports every stop along the route, ensuring that critical systems function smoothly for both passengers and operators.
With over 1,550 stops to manage, Rheinbahn’s Electronic Systems department shoulders a significant responsibility. This team is dedicated to maintaining and monitoring the day-to-day functionality of public transport operations, ensuring efficiency, reliability, and a seamless experience for millions of travelers.
Installation of the Control Center in Rheinbahnhaus
Rheinbahn’s daily technical operations are managed from Rheinbahnhaus, a new facility that became operational in 2017. This new building houses a central control center with over 100 specialized technical rooms, serving as the nerve center for the transportation network.
In late 2023, installation of the latest IT systems began with the goal of centralizing control over all video walls through a single user interface. The Rheinbahn team needed a solution that would allow multiple departments to access the same web dashboards, each with the ability to control and modify their own displays independently—without disrupting other teams.
SOLUTION: An Innovative Approach to Video Wall Control
The initial plan included traditional, customized video wall controllers equipped with input & output cards for decoding and processing. However, working with integrator Qvest and VuWall, Rheinbahn’s Electronic Systems department opted for a more advanced, flexible and modern approach: a distributed IP-based video wall system. This cutting-edge solution delivers superior content distribution, scalability, cost efficiency, and enhanced reliability. The goal was to provide operators with a functionally optimized system that simplifies their work rather than overcomplicating it.
Instead of relying on a traditional controller setup, the team implemented VuWall’s PAK video wall controllers —a distributed solution that seamlessly integrates with TRx and its IP KVM technology. This setup allows operators to manage dashboards and remote PCs directly from the video wall using a single keyboard, mouse, and display interface (KVM).
With VuWall’s TRx Control Panel Designer, customized Control Panels can be created for each operator tailored for their specific needs, making the system quick and easy to operate.
RESULT: A More Efficient and Scalable Control Room
With the new system in place, any control room operator can now instantly view and manage the data they need to make fast, informed decisions. By deploying multiple application servers with identical web dashboards for each department, teams can access the same critical information without interference.
The flexible system design allows Rheinbahn to adapt and modify its setup even while in use, eliminating downtime. Content layouts and display styles can be easily adjusted, ensuring continuous optimization without requiring major system overhauls. Additionally, the solution’s scalability ensures long-term viability—additional displays, video walls, and data sources can be seamlessly integrated by adding application servers, video encoders, and PAK nodes as needed.
In conclusion, by adopting VuWall’s distributed IP-based video wall solution, Rheinbahn has significantly enhanced operational efficiency, improved situational awareness, and future-proofed its control room infrastructure. With a system designed for flexibility, scalability, and ease of use, Rheinbahn’s Electronic Systems department is now better equipped than ever to oversee and optimize public transportation for millions of passengers each year.
About Rheinbahn
Rheinbahn is a member of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR), the public transport association coordinating transit across the Rhine-Ruhr megalopolis. Operating from five bus depots and three light rail and streetcar depots, Rheinbahn’s fleet includes seven light rail trains, 13 streetcars, and 92 bus lines. In addition to serving Düsseldorf, the network extends to cities such as Krefeld, Duisburg, Neuss, Ratingen, Kaarst, Moers, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Solingen, and Essen.
Related Products
PAK
A compact and cost-effective video wall processor that can work as a standalone unit or can be stitched to each other to build an IP video wall of any size. LEARN MORE
TRx Platform
An interoperable and easy-to-use software solution to manage & control any source to any display or video wall. LEARN MORE
VuStream 150
Deliver high-quality video over standard networks. VuStream 150 features 4:4:4 pass-through, 4:2:2 encoding & streaming, and PoE. LEARN MORE
Application Server
Simplify video wall deployments with immediate access to dashboards, websites, and RDP sessions from a centralized source. LEARN MORE
