Lucerne trolleybus system | |||
---|---|---|---|
Operation | |||
Locale | Lucerne, Switzerland | ||
Open | 7 December 1941 | ||
Status | Open | ||
Routes | 6 | ||
Operator(s) | Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) | ||
Infrastructure | |||
Electrification | 600 V DC parallel overhead lines | ||
Statistics | |||
Route length | 37.634 km (23.385 mi) | ||
| |||
Website | http://www.vbl.ch Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) (in German) |
The Lucerne trolleybus system (Alemannic German : Trolleybussystem Luzern) forms part of the public transport network of Lucerne, which is the capital city of the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Opened in 1941, the system had replaced the Lucerne tramway network by 1961. [1]
As of the end of 2013, the system consists of six lines, one of which leads across the city boundary into the neighbouring towns of Emmen, Horw and Kriens. It is currently operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL), has a total route length of 37.634 km (23.385 mi), [2] and as of about 2011 was carrying 27 million passengers annually. [3] The system is supplemented by various motor bus lines operated by the same transport company.
The system's individual trolleybus line sections went into service as follows: [1]
7 December 1941 | Bahnhof Luzern–Allmend (2.59 km) | Bahnhof Luzern–Breitenlachen: now line 4 Breitenlachen–Allmend: decommissioned since 2005 | New connection |
25 January 1942 | Bahnhof Luzern–Dietschiberg | now lines 6 and 8 | New connection |
20 May 1951 | Luzernerhof–Wesemlinrain | now line 1 | Motor bus replacement |
15 November 1959 | Dietschiberg–Würzenbach (1.05 km) Bundesplatz–Emmenbrücke (4.38 km) | now lines 6 and 8 now line 2 | Motor bus replacement Tramway replacement |
11 November 1961 | Pilatusplatz–Kriens Busschleife Wesemlinrain–Maihof | now line 1 | Tramway replacement |
11 November 1962 | Breitenlachen–Hubelmatt | now line 4 | New connection |
10 April 1966 | Bundesplatz–Matthof Wartegg–Biregghof | now line 6 now line 7 | New connection |
2 July 1986 | Schönbühl–Hirtenhof | now line 8 | New connection |
5 November 1990 | Kriens Busschleife–Obernau Dorf Emmenbrücke–Sprengi | now line 1 now line 2 | Motor bus replacement New connection |
23 August 2004 | Wesemlinrain–Unterlöchli | now line 7 | New connection |
15 December 2013 | Brüelstrasse–Büttenenhalde | now line 6 | Motor bus replacement |
12 December 2016 | Kriens-Emmenbruecke | now line 5 | New connection (75th anniversary) |
The present system is made up of the following lines:
1 | Obernau Dorf–Ebikon, Fildern | cross-city route | 38 stops | every 7.5 minutes | Bi-articulated buses |
2 | Sprengi–Bahnhof Luzern | radial route | 16 stops | every 7.5 minutes | Bi-articulated buses |
4 | Hubelmatt–Bahnhof Luzern | radial route | 9 stops | every 10 minutes | Articulated buses |
5 | Kriens–Emmenbrücke | cross-city route | 20 stops | peak times every 7.5 minutes / off peak every 15 minutes | Articulated buses |
6 | Matthof–Büttenenhalde | cross-city route | 23/24 stops | rush hour every 10 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutes | Articulated buses |
7 | Biregghof–Unterlöchli | cross-city route | 23/24 stops | every 7.5 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutes | Articulated buses |
8 | Hirtenhof–Würzenbach | cross-city route | 19/20 stops | rush hour every 10 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutes | Bi-articulated buses |
Lines 6 and 8 operate on the same overhead wires between Brüelstrasse and Schönbühl, so that on this section there are trolleybuses at 5-minute intervals during rush hour, and at 7.5-minute intervals at off-peak times. This combined section is described as double-line 6/8.
This section needs to be updated.(December 2021) |
As of 31 December 2013, the VBL trolleybus fleet had 20 rigid, 26 articulated, and three bi-articulated vehicles There were also 16 trailers that can be used in combination with the rigid buses. [2]
In the 2010s, the Lucerne system was one of only two trolleybus systems worldwide, along with the Lausanne trolleybus system, that still operated trolleybuses towing passenger trailers. However, trailer use on the Lucerne system ended on 10 October 2017, [4] following the delivery of more new articulated trolleybuses, and such usage also ended in Lausanne – the last trolleybus system in the world to use trailers – on 4 May 2021. [5]
Image | Fleet nos. | Quantity | Manufacturer | Electrics | Type | Configuration | Low-floor | Built |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
201–226 | 26 | Hess | Kiepe | BGT-N2C | Articulated | yes | 2004–2009 | |
231–233 | 3 | Hess | Kiepe | BGGT-N2C | Bi-articulated | yes | 2006 | |
234–242 | 9 | Hess | Kiepe | BGGT-N2D | Bi-articulated | yes | 2014 | |
252–254, 257–280 | 27 | NAW / Hess | Siemens | BT 5-25 | Rigid | no | 1989 (no. 251 built 1987–88) | |
301–316 | 16 | Lanz + Marti / Hess | none | APM 5.6-13 | Trailer | yes | 1998–2005 | |
Type BGT 5-25 originally comprised 20 vehicles, nos. 181–200.
Of the 30 rigid versions of that type, the BT 5-25, to be acquired by the VBL, three vehicles had been retired by 2012: nos. 251, 255 and 256.[ citation needed ] In 2014, ten vehicles from that series were sold to the Valparaíso trolleybus system, in Chile: Nos. 265, 266, 268–270, 272, 273, 275, 276, 278. [6]
The Weinbergli depot is located on the route of lines 6, 7 and 8.
Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ), the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its current name in 1950.
Trams make an important contribution to public transport in the city of Zurich in Switzerland. The tram network serves most city neighbourhoods, and is the backbone of public transport within the city, albeit supplemented by the inner sections of the Zurich S-Bahn, along with urban trolleybus and bus lines, as well as two funicular railways, one rack railway and passenger boat lines on the river and on the lake. The trams and other city transport modes operate within a fare regime provided by the cantonal public transport authority Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV), which also covers regional rail and bus services.
Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) is the main provider of public transport in the Swiss city of Lucerne. It operates some 92 buses and 74 trolleybuses on 25 daytime routes, as well as 5 overnight services and one funicular service.
A bi-articulated bus or double-articulated bus and sometimes train-bus, tram-bus, trackless tram or double bendy bus is a type of high-capacity articulated bus with an extra axle and a second articulation joint, as well as extended length. Bi-articulated buses tend to be employed in high-frequency core routes or bus rapid transit schemes rather than in conventional bus routes.
The Salzburg trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network serving Salzburg, capital of the federal state of Salzburg in Austria. Opened on 1 October 1940, it replaced the Salzburg tramway network.
The Winterthur trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network that serves Winterthur, in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
The Bern tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. In operation since 1890, it presently has five lines, one of which incorporates the Bern–Worb Dorf railway.
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.
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.
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.
The La Chaux-de-Fonds trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
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.
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.
The Neuchâtel tramway is a tramway forming part of the public transport system in Neuchâtel, a city in Switzerland.
The St. Gallen trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network of St. Gallen, the capital city of the canton of St. Gallen, 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.
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.
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.
The Basel trolleybus system 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.
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.
Media related to Trolleybuses in Lucerne at Wikimedia Commons