Trolleybuses in Basel

Last updated

Basel trolleybus system
Basel Neoplan N 6021.jpg
Basel Neoplan trolleybus no. 929
on line 31, August 2005.
Operation
Locale Basel, Switzerland
Open31 July 1941 (1941-07-31)
Close30 June 2008 (2008-06-30)
StatusClosed
Routes3 (max)
Operator(s) Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB)
Infrastructure
Electrification 600 V DC
Website http://www.bvb.ch Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (in German)

The Basel trolleybus system (Alemannic German : Trolleybussystem Basel) was part of the public transport network of Basel, Switzerland, for nearly six decades. Opened in 1941, it combined after 1997 with the Basel Regional S-Bahn, the Basel tramway network and Basel's urban motorbus network to form an integrated all-four style scheme until its closure in 2008.

Contents

The trolleybus system was operated by Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB), which also operates Basel's motorbus network and some of the trams on its tramway network. At its height, the trolleybus system consisted of three lines, two of which ran into the neighbouring municipality of Riehen, north of Basel.

History

The individual sections of the Basel trolleybus system went into service as follows: [1]

31 July 1941Claraplatz–Rosengartenweg–Friedhof am HörnliLine A (to 1948)
Line 31 (from 1948)
Replacement for motor bus line A
25 October 1948Friedhof am Hörnli–HabermattenLine 31Extension over new section
9 February 1956Rosengartenweg–KäferholzstrasseLine 34Replacement for motor bus line 34
24 October 1968Wanderstrasse–Badischer Bahnhof Line 33Replacement for motor bus line 33
(to 4 July 1966: Tram line 2)
18 April 1973Käferholzstrasse–HabermattenLine 34Extension over new section

Line 34 was converted to motorbus operation on 9 September 2000. A conversion of line 33 followed on 13 December 2004. After the latter closure, Basel's only remaining trolleybus line was the 4.9 km (3.0 mi) long line 31.

A popular initiative [ citation needed ] to rescue the trolleybuses then occurred, but on 17 June 2007 the initiative was rejected by a 27,403 to 23,645 (53.7%) majority of the voting citizens. Subsequently, the final trolleybus run on line 31 took place on 30 June 2008. [2]

Fleet

A total of 52 trolleybuses were procured for the Basel trolleybus system. All of them were supplied new, apart from nos. 921 and 922, which were acquired second-hand from the Kaiserslautern trolleybus system in Germany: [3]

ManufacturerTypeConfigurationQuantityFleet numbersService years
FBW 51 Rigid (two-axle), dual-mode 210–11; from 1947 to 1948: 50–51; from 1956: 350–3511941–1975
Saurer 4 BPOTwo-axle, cab over 212–13; from 1947 to 1948: 52–53; from 1956: 352–3531941–1958
Saurer4 TPTwo-axle254–55; from 1956: 354–3551948–1975
FBW51Two-axle1256–64; from 1956: 356–3681955–1995
Schindler APG Articulated 10901–9101968–1996
FBW91 GTSArticulated10911–9201975–2000
Daimler-Benz O305 GT Articulated2921–9221986–2000
Neoplan N 6020Articulated, low-floor 12923–9341992–2008
Ex-Basel trolleybus 918 in service in Brasov (Romania) in 2006, still wearing BVB fleet livery Ex-Basel FBW trolleybus 918 at Saturn terminus in Brasov, 2006.jpg
Ex-Basel trolleybus 918 in service in Braşov (Romania) in 2006, still wearing BVB fleet livery

Up until the closure of the system, motorbus no. 48 served as an overhead wire de-icer, and for that purpose was fitted with trolley poles.

Some of the retired trolleybuses were transferred to Pazardzhik and Ruse in Bulgaria as well as Braşov in Romania. Trolleybus no. 358 is now in the possession of the Lausanne-based RétroBus Léman museum society.

Depot

The vehicles in Basel's trolleybus fleet were kept at the Rankstrasse bus garage, on line 31. The garage was also connected with line 33 via non-revenue wires (wiring not used for passenger service) from Basel Badischer Bahnhof.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe</span> German public transport operator

The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), literally translated into English as the Leipzig Transport Authority, operates the tramway and bus transport services in Leipzig, Germany. The LVB network is a part of the regional public transport association, the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV). The LVB was formed by the merger, from 1 January 1917, of two predecessor undertakings, the Großen Leipziger Straßenbahn and the Leipziger Elektrischen Straßenbahn. The merged undertaking was also known as GLSt until it was reorganized and renamed as the LVB, from 29 July 1938.

Baselland Transport AG (BLT) is a Swiss public transport operator in the cantons of Basel-Land, Basel-Stadt, Solothurn and in France. The BLT was founded in 1974, and is owned by the Canton of Basel-Land, located to the south of the city. It transports some 48 million passengers per year, using a fleet of 64 buses and 100 trams over a network of 165 kilometres (103 mi) of bus routes and 65 kilometres (40 mi) of tram routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Basel</span> Overview of the tram system in Basel, Switzerland

The Basel tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Basel, Switzerland, and its agglomeration - it also reaches into adjacent suburbs in Germany and France. The only two other tramway networks to cross an international border are Geneva's and Strasbourg's tramways. The Basel tram system consists of 12 lines. Due to its longevity, it is part of Basel's heritage and, alongside the Basel Minster, is one of the symbols of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe</span> Swiss public transport operator

Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Basel, and is wholly owned by canton of Basel-Stadt, which consists of city of Basel and the municipalities of Bettingen and Riehen. The BVB was founded in 1895, and became a self-governing public corporation on 1 January 2006. It transports 132 million passengers per year, an average of roughly 360,000 a day. It operates 128 motor trams and 74 trailers on 9 tram routes, as well as 99 buses on a total of 13 bus routes. These are kept operating by 1200 employees. BVB jointly operates the Basel tram network with Baselland Transport AG (BLT), owned by the adjoining canton of Basel-Land. Whilst the green colored BVB tends to operate the shorter urban services, its tram routes do extend beyond the inner city into Basel-Land and parts of the German city of Weil am Rhein. Likewise the yellow BLT trams operate into the city centre. Both are part of the integrated fare network Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz (TNW), which in itself is part of the three countries-integrated fare network triregio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Geneva</span> Tram system in Geneva, Switzerland

The Geneva tramway network is a network of tramways forming the core element of the public transport system in Geneva, Switzerland. It is operated by Transports Publics Genevois (TPG), and is supplemented by the Geneva trolleybus system and the Geneva bus system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Lausanne</span>

The Lausanne trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network of Lausanne, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The system has been in operation since 1932 and is the third-oldest surviving trolleybus system in the world, after those of Shanghai and Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Biel/Bienne</span>

The Biel/Bienne trolleybus system is part of the public transport network of the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. The system also serves the neighbouring municipality of Nidau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Fribourg</span>

The Fribourg trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network in Fribourg, capital of the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. The system also serves the neighbouring municipalities of Villars-sur-Glâne and Givisiez, using one line in each case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fribourg–Farvagny trolleybus system</span>

The Fribourg–Farvagny trolleybus system was a pioneering interurban trolleybus line in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland between 1911 and 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Geneva</span>

The Geneva trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the second largest trolleybus system in Switzerland, after the Lausanne system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Neuchâtel</span>

The Neuchâtel trolleybus system is part of the public transport network in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Opened in 1940, it gradually replaced the urban lines of the Neuchâtel tramway network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Neuchâtel</span>

The Neuchâtel tramway is a tramway forming part of the public transport system in Neuchâtel, a city in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Bern</span> Public transport system in Bern, Switzerland

The Bern trolleybus system is part of the public transport network of Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. Opened in 1940, it combines with the Bern S-Bahn, the Bern tramway network and Bern's urban motorbus network to form an integrated all-four style scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Zurich</span> Public transport system in Zurich, Switzerland

The Zurich trolleybus system is part of the public transport network of Zurich, Switzerland. Opened in 1939, it combines the Zurich S-Bahn, the Zurich tramway network and Zurich's urban motorbus network to form an integrated all-four style scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Montreux/Vevey</span> Swiss trolleybus system

The Montreux/Vevey trolleybus system, also known as the Vevey–Villeneuve trolleybus line, forms part of the public transport network in Montreux and Vevey, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It comprises a single 12.75 km (7.92 mi) long trolleybus route along the length of the Riviera vaudoise on the north shore of Lake Geneva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Schaffhausen</span>

The Schaffhausen trolleybus system is part of the public transport network of Schaffhausen, capital city of the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and the adjacent town of Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the same canton. It is also Switzerland's youngest and smallest such system. Its route, designated as line 1, connects among others Schaffhausen railway station with the Rhine Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz</span>

The Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz, also known by its initialisation TNW, is a Swiss public transport tariff network covering the whole of the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, together with parts of the cantons of Aargau, Jura and Solothurn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basel Dreispitz railway station</span> Railway station in Switzerland

Basel Dreispitz railway station is a railway station in the city of Basel, in the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt. It is an intermediate stop on the Basel–Biel/Bienne line and is served by local trains only. The station was built in 2005 despite numerous objections from local residents and was opened in May 2006. In 2008 the station was awarded a Brunel Award by the Watford Group. It offers transfer possibilities on tram lines of Baselland Transport as well as bus lines of the same company and the Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basel–Pratteln railway line</span> Railway line in Switzerland

The Basel–Pratteln railway line is a 1,000 mm railway line in Switzerland. It runs 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) from Pratteln to the border of Basel-Stadt, across the river Birs from St. Jakob-Park, where it connects with the Basel tram network. The line was built by the Basellandschaftliche Ueberlandbahn in 1921 and is now owned by Baselland Transport. Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe operates line 14 of the Basel tram network over the line.

References

Notes

  1. "Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB): Geschichte". www.tram-bus-basel.ch website (in German). Dominik Madörin, CH-Ettingen. Retrieved 4 October 2012.{{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  2. Trolleybus Magazine No. 282 (November–December 2008), p. 240. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN   0266-7452.
  3. "Trolleybusse der Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe". tram-bus-basel.ch website (in German). Dominik Madörin, CH-Ettingen. Retrieved 4 October 2012.

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Trolleybuses in Basel at Wikimedia Commons