The Rheinbahn is 60 years old In 1956, the Rheinbahn celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. Although the golden jubilee was only celebrated on a small scale due to its proximity to the end of the war and the prevailing depressed mood, this anniversary ten years later was a "genuine" celebration.
The managing board and supervisory board invited all the prominent public figures from Duesseldorf and neighbouring cities to join the celebrations. After a speech of welcome to shareholders by the Mayor of Duesseldorf, Georg Glock, Director Rebbelmund made his commemorative speech. He related the history of the Duesseldorf Stadtbahn and the Rheinbahn.
Director Rebbelmund defined the main functions of public transport as the conveyance of essential goods to consumers and the working population to their workplaces. He also said that these important functions should be accorded higher priority than all other modes of transportation, such as private and pleasure traffic.
The employees also received a bonus to mark this anniversary. A letter from the managing board said:
"Because our pensioners are still part of the big Rheinbahn family, the supervisory board has approved our proposal that they, and the active Rheinbahn employees, should receive an anniversary bonus of DM 30 (EUR 15.34)."
The festivities reflected the re-emergence of Duesseldorf’s citzens’ zest for life. It was particularly remarkable that all Rheinbahn employees were invited to the anniversary celebrations, albeit on different days. However, the celebrations were internal. On this anniversary, there was no attempt to generate external effects or portray the company through activities or events.