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Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr

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Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr
AbbreviationVRR
Named afterrivers Rhine and Ruhr
FormationVRR GmbH: January 1, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-01-01)

ZV VRR: January 1, 1996; 29 years ago (1996-01-01)

VRR AöR: September 28, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-09-28)
DissolvedVRR GmbH: September 2006; 18 years ago (2006-09)
TypeStatutory corporation
Legal status“Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts”
HeadquartersAugustastr. 1
45879 Gelsenkirchen
Germany
Region
Ruhr, Lower Rhine region, parts of the Rhine-Ruhr
Oliver Wittke
Subsidiaries• Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (ZV VRR)
• Nahverkehrs-Zweckverband Niederrhein (ZV NVN)
• ZV VRR Eigenbetrieb Fahrzeuge und Infrastruktur (ZV VRR FaIn-EB)
Websitewww.vrr.de

The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (German: [fɐˈkeːɐ̯sfɐˌbʊnt ˌʁaɪ̯n ˈʁuːɐ̯]), abbreviated VRR, is a public transport association (Verkehrsverbund) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It covers large parts of the Ruhr area, the Lower Rhine region including Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation. It was founded on 1 January 1980, and is Europe’s largest public Transport association, covering an area of some 7,305 km2 (2,820 sq mi)[1] with more than 8.1 million inhabitants,[2] spanning as far as Dorsten in the north, Dortmund in the east, Langenfeld in the south, and the Dutch border in the west and northwest.

Structure and responsibilities

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The VRR is tasked with coordinating public transport in its area. This means the following:[3][4][5][6]

  • setting and developing the fare system (VRR tariff)
    • redistributing ticket revenue onto the transport companies
  • coordinating local train services (Schienenpersonennahverkehr, SPNV) within its area as public service obligations (PSO)
  • integrating the public transport system
    • setting standards and guidelines for passenger information and bus/tram stop facilities
    • coordination between transport companies, local authorities and Land authorities
  • financing partial subsidies for bus and tram companies according to § 11 (2) and § 11a ÖPNVG NRW
  • coordinating Land subsidies to transport companies and local authorities according to § 12 and § 13 ÖPNVG NRW

Governance

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A total of 26 cities and districts form the special purpose associations Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (ZV VRR) and Nahverkehrs-Zweckverband Niederrhein (ZV NVN). Both special purpose associations form the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR (VRR AöR) which cooperates with further transport companies additionally.[7]

The member cities and districts of the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr are:

The member districts of the Nahverkehrs-Zweckverband Niederrhein are:

The municipal and district councils send representatives to the two special purpose associations’ councils, which in turn elect the main decision making corporations, the administrative council of the VRR, and other committees. The administrative council elects the administrative board of the VRR, currently Oliver Wittke who also is their speaker.[3][8]

In addition, there are departments within the VRR dealing with different matters, such as marketing or law. Two Land institutions are located within the VRR structure: Kompetenzcenter Digitalisierung NRW (KCD)[9] and Kompetenzcenter Sicherheit (KCS).[10]

Through the ZV VRR Eigenbetrieb Fahrzeuge und Infrastruktur (ZV VRR FaIn-EB), the VRR also buys and/or owns the rolling stock for some, but not all, of its PSO rail operations.[3]

Transport companies

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These above mentioned cities’ and districts’ and other associated transport companies thus operate under the VRR fare scheme:[11]

  • Bahnen der Stadt Monheim
  • Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen
  • BVR Busverkehr Rheinland
  • Dortmunder Stadtwerke
  • Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft
  • Flughafen Düsseldorf
  • Hagener Straßenbahn
  • Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Mettmann
  • Kraftverkehr Gerresheim
  • Kraftverkehr Schwalmtal von der Forst
  • Look Busreisen
  • NEW mobil und aktiv
  • NEW mobil und aktiv Viersen
  • Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe
  • Rheinbahn
  • Ruhrbahn
  • Stadtbus Dormagen
  • Stadtwerke Neuss
  • Stadtwerke Remscheid
  • Stadtwerke Solingen
  • Stadtwerke Oberhausen
  • Straßenbahn Herne–Castrop-Rauxel
  • Stadtwerke Krefeld
  • Verkehrsgesellschaft der Stadt Velbert
  • Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr
  • Verkehrsgesellschaft Hilden
  • Vestische Straßenbahnen
  • Wuppertaler Stadtwerke

The following rail companies operate S-Bahn or regional train services in the VRR area and accept VRR tickets:[11]

Additionally, there are several districts and cities outside the area of VRR which tariff applies for, but only while travelling with a transport vehicle from/to the area of VRR. Unless specified separately, this regulation counts for all lines.[12]

Line numbering scheme

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With the introduction of the VRR in 1980 a new line numbering system for all bus, tram and Stadtbahn (underground) lines in the VRR area was introduced. The VRR has been divided into ten three-digit numbering sheme regions, the first digit in the line number representing that numbering sheme Region (key number). The last two digits form the individual line number.[2] These are the existing key numbers:

Stadtbahn lines are identified with the prefix “U” followed by the key number and a one-digit identifiers. Wuppertal's suspension railway line is officially line 60, but because it does not run underground, the prefix U is not used.

After the integration of the former Verkehrsgemeinschaft Niederrhein (VGN) area consisting of Kleve and Wesel, route numbers were unchanged, i.e. representing no key number.[2]

  • Express buses are called Schnellbus and have the prefix SB followed by two digits. None of these digits is a key number.
  • Semi-fast buses are called City-Express and have the prefix CE followed by two digits. As with the express buses none of the digits is a key number.
  • On demand buses (and also Taxis) have the prefixes ALT, AST or TB.
  • In some cities the local buses have an own numbering system, e.g. the buses in Velbert, whose line number consists of the prefix OV, followed by one or two digits.
  • In some cities the night buses are called NachtExpress (NE).

Fare system

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Pricing

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The VRR sells tickets based on three different fare levels which are represented by their three letters A, B and C. Its area is divided into fare zones (German: Tarifgebiet). Each fare zone consists of at least two subzones (German: Wabe). The zones’ numbering sheme consists of a two-digit fare zone number and a one-digit subzone number.[13]

Fare level A

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Fare level A is valid either:

The following cities are summed up into one fare zone each:

Fare level B

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Fare level B is valid for journeys whose start and destination are separated by at most one other fare zone.[14]

Fare level C

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Fare level C applies for all other journeys in the area the VRR operates in.

Tickets

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People younger than fifteen years pay lower fares. The VRR sells tickets for one single journey or for four consecutive journeys respectively. Tickets for 24 hours are also avaiable. If the transportation of a bicycle is desired, the traveller has to buy a FahrradTicket, valid for 24 hours. Before travelling, those tickets must be validated by nearby stamp boxes. The monthly ticket is called Ticket2000. The social discount variant is named SozialTicket, only valid in the district of residence. To expand the area of a monthly ticket temporarily, a socalled ZusatzTicket is needed per journey.[15][16]

The digital variant with a check-in system is called eezy VRR.[17]

Furthermore, the VRR's transport association companies offer the nation-wide Deutschlandticket.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "VRR-Nahverkehrsplan 2017" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  2. ^ a b c "VRR-Nahverkehrsplan 2025" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  3. ^ a b c "Der Verbund". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  4. ^ "Verbundaufgaben". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  5. ^ "SPNV-Aufgabenträgerschaft". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  6. ^ "ÖPNV-Investitionen". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  7. ^ "Verbundbericht 2019/2020" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. p. 67. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  8. ^ "Politische Gremien". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  9. ^ "Das Kompetenzcenter Digitalisierung NRW". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  10. ^ "Kompetenzcenter Sicherheit NRW". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  11. ^ a b "Handbuch Tarif und Vertrieb" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. p. 81. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  12. ^ "Übergangstarife: Fahrten über den VRR hinaus". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  13. ^ "Der Tarif im Überblick" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  14. ^ "Geltungsbereich der Preisstufe B" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  15. ^ "Ticketkauf". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  16. ^ "Alle Tickets und Tarife". Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  17. ^ "Tickets und Preise" (PDF) (in German). Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
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