How a 180-Degree Video Brings the Track Construction Trade to Life

While the city winds down for the night, a highly complex system keeps running underground and above ground, carried by people whose work is essential to everyday urban life. Together with the team at Hamburger Hochbahn, the company that runs Hamburg’s subway and bus network, we got to look at a place few people ever get to see: the work of the track construction crews.

Essential, but rarely seen

Repairing and maintaining rail systems is indispensable for a big city like Hamburg.
If the subway trains stop running, public transportation comes to a standstill, with massive consequences for the economy, daily life, and mobility. Despite this central importance, it is hard to fill track construction jobs today.

The reasons include the demanding working hours and the fact that the public knows little about the trade. To tackle exactly this problem, we produced an immersive video together with Hochbahn apprentices that gives an honest look at the daily work.

Three apprentices in safety vests printed with Hochbahn Technik walk across a depot site with tracks

Camera operator with headphones and a tablet in front of a camera on a tripod, next to a young man in high-visibility clothing between stacks of rails

Bringing an apprenticeship to life with VR

In the video, we follow three apprentices through their workday, from the start of the day to the work right on the tracks. Viewers experience up close how teamwork on the construction site works, what technology and precision are required, and how much responsibility every single task carries.
The 180° format makes viewers feel as if they are right in the middle of the action. Instead of just explaining the job, the video lets people experience it.

The video was published on Hamburger Hochbahn’s YouTube channel and is also part of the Virtuelle Hanseatische Lehrstellenbörse (VHLB), an online apprenticeship exchange for the Hamburg region. It is also available as an application for the Hochbahn’s own VR headsets. These can be used at career fairs so that visitors can try out the application right there. This way, the company specifically reaches young adults who are interested in an apprenticeship and want a realistic look at the job before they apply.

The 180° video has succeeded in putting an often overlooked but indispensable trade in the spotlight. It is a project that not only offers insights but also opens up prospects. For the mobility and the skilled workers of tomorrow!