VRR delivers commuters an improved digital experience

Located in Germany's Rhein-Ruhr region, the country’s most densely populated region, Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR (VRR) is one of Europe’s largest public transportation networks. Serving the almost 8 million people who call the region home, VRR operates across sixteen cities and seven districts. 

In 2018, VRR partnered with webit! to develop a new company website based on TYPO3, and successfully launched it one year later in 2019.

As the public transportation network that serves a region with a population comparable to that of a small European country, the importance of a responsive, user-friendly and accessible website can’t be understated. The team responsible for overseeing the delivery of the project at VRR set out clear goals that would serve as benchmarks for the success of the project. 

The most notable of these goals included the implementation of a modern website to replace the outdated previous version, the attraction of new visitors to the network’s website, the development of content and SEO strategies , along with the successful integration of timetable information systems and a modern search tool for travelers to easily find the routes they’re looking for.

Additionally, VRR specifically requested the website be re-developed using TYPO3. A testament to the open-source CMS’s suitability for large-scale website projects.

With the foremost goal being providing quick and easy access to relevant content for primary target groups, webit! led the integration of public transportation information systems as central, interactive elements on the VRR homepage. 

This included device-independent responsive image rendering, performance optimization for page components using TYPO3 caching framework, and the implementation of a load balancing concept with data synchronization. 

The search function was another important component of the project that required an overhaul, and for that, VRR benefitted from the optimization of the Solr search function with autosuggest and Vue.js in TYPO3.

New interfaces providing visitors easier access to the crucial travel information they need were key to the project’s success. This included: 

• Implementation of a FAS SL3+ react app that allowed for the displaying of connection and stop information 
• Automated and cyclical EFA data processing for timetable information 
• A command allowing for the importing of XML files into TYPO3 to deploy price adjustments for train fares

In order to improve the searchability of the VRR website to increase organic traffic, SEO improvements by the webit! team included the implementation of structured data (JSON-LD format) to enable “rich results”, such as optimized and featured displays in search engines, along with tracking and reporting via Looker Studio. 

With the key improvements having been made, the webit! team moved to the next phase of the project which will include the redesign of the VRR corporate branding, new interface integrations, further site search optimization, and continuous SEO improvements. 

Learn more about how TYPO3 enables large-scale organizations to deliver high-quality digital experiences. 

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