Trolleybuses in Lucerne

Last updated

Lucerne trolleybus system
Luzern Swisstrolley.jpg
A Hess Swisstrolley crossing the Reuss, 2005.
Operation
Locale Lucerne, Switzerland
Open7 December 1941 (1941-12-07)
StatusOpen
Routes7
Operator(s) Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL)
Infrastructure
Electrification 600 V DC parallel overhead lines
Statistics
Route length 37.634 km (23.385 mi)
Overview
Trolleynetz Luzern 2017.png
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]

Contents

As of the end of 2013, the system consists of seven 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.

History

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 1942Bahnhof Luzern–Dietschibergnow lines 6 and 8New connection
20 May 1951Luzernerhof–Wesemlinrainnow line 1 Motor bus replacement
15 November 1959Dietschiberg–Würzenbach (1.05 km)
Bundesplatz–Emmenbrücke (4.38 km)		now lines 6 and 8
now line 2		Motor bus replacement
Tramway replacement
11 November 1961Pilatusplatz–Kriens Busschleife
Wesemlinrain–Maihof		now line 1Tramway replacement
11 November 1962Breitenlachen–Hubelmattnow line 4New connection
10 April 1966Bundesplatz–Matthof
Wartegg–Biregghof		now line 6
now line 7		New connection
2 July 1986Schönbühl–Hirtenhofnow line 8New connection
5 November 1990Kriens Busschleife–Obernau Dorf
Emmenbrücke–Sprengi		now line 1
now line 2		Motor bus replacement
New connection
23 August 2004Wesemlinrain–Unterlöchlinow line 7New connection
15 December 2013Brüelstrasse–Büttenenhaldenow line 6Motor bus replacement
12 December 2016Kriens-Emmenbrueckenow line 5New connection (75th anniversary)
A 1960 FBW trolleybus at Hirtenhof in 1987, a few months after route 8 was converted to trolleybuses Luzern FBW-SWP trolleybus 213 at Hirtenhof terminus in March 1987.jpg
A 1960 FBW trolleybus at Hirtenhof in 1987, a few months after route 8 was converted to trolleybuses

Lines

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 stopsevery 7.5 minutesBi-articulated buses
4Hubelmatt–Bahnhof Luzernradial route9 stopsevery 10 minutes Articulated buses
5Kriens–Emmenbrückecross-city route20 stopspeak times every 7.5 minutes / off peak every 15 minutesArticulated buses
6Matthof–Büttenenhaldecross-city route23/24 stopsrush hour every 10 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutesArticulated buses
7 Biregghof–Unterlöchlicross-city route23/24 stopsevery 7.5 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutesArticulated buses
8Hirtenhof–Würzenbachcross-city route19/20 stopsrush hour every 10 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutesBi-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.

Fleet

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]

The system's first double-articulated trolleybuses were purchased in 2006 and were among the first such vehicles in Switzerland (apart from a 2003 prototype); [4] the three vehicles were delivered at the end of 2006 and given numbers 231–233. [5]

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, [6] 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. [7]

ImageFleet nos.QuantityManufacturer Electrics TypeConfiguration Low-floor Built
VBL ST3 209 Bodenhofterrasse.jpg 201–22626 Hess Vossloh Kiepe BGT-N2C Articulatedyes2004–2009
VBL 233 Stampfeli.jpg 231–2333HessVossloh KiepeBGGT-N2CBi-articulatedyes2006
VBL 234 Luzernerhof Einweihung.jpg 234–2429HessVossloh KiepeBGGT-N2DBi-articulatedyes2014
VBL 253 Weinbergli.jpg 252–254,
257–280		27 NAW / HessSiemens BT 5-25 Rigidno1989 (no. 251 built 1987–88)
Vbl 303 (273) Schonbuhl.jpg 301–31616Lanz + Marti / HessnoneAPM 5.6-13 Trailer yes1998–2005

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. [8]

Depot

The Weinbergli depot is located on the route of lines 6, 7 and 8.

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Trolleybusstadt: Luzern (Schweiz) - Geschichte History" [Trolleybus city: Lucerne (Switzerland) - History] (in German). TrolleyMotion. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Die Fakten" [The facts] (in German). Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Brugger Kalfidis, Pia Maria. "Luzern setzt auf Trolleybusse" [Lucerne relies on trolleybuses](PDF) (in German). Regionale Schienen. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 268 (July–August 2006), p. 91. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN   0266-7452
  5. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 273 (May–June 2007), p. 70. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN   0266-7452
  6. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 337 (January–February 2018), p. 37.
  7. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 358 (July–August 2021), p. 162.
  8. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 320 (March–April 2015), p. 54. ISSN   0266-7452.

Further reading

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