Trolleybuses in Lucerne
| Lucerne trolleybus system | |||
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A Hess Swisstrolley crossing the Reuss, 2005. | |||
| Operation | |||
| Locale | Lucerne, Switzerland | ||
| Open | 7 December 1941 | ||
| Status | Open | ||
| Routes | 6 | ||
| Operator(s) | Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) | ||
| Infrastructure | |||
| Electrification | 600 V DC | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Route length | 30.012 km (18.649 mi) | ||
| |||
| Website | Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) (German) | ||
The Lucerne trolleybus system (Alemannic German: Trolleybussystem Luzern) forms part of the public transport network of Lucerne, capital city of the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Opened in 1941, the system had replaced the Lucerne tramway network by 1961.[1]
As of 2012, the system consists of six lines, one of which leads across the city boundary into the neighbouring towns of Emmen, Horw und Kriens. It is currently operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL), has a total route length of 30.012 km (18.649 mi),[2] and carries 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 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 |
Lines
The present system is made up of the following lines:
| 1 | Obernau Dorf–Maihof | cross-city route | 27 stops | rush hour every 5 minutes / off-peak every 7.5 minutes | Bi-articulated buses and rigid buses + trailers |
| 2 | Sprengi–Bahnhof Luzern | radial route | 18 stops | every 7.5 minutes | Articulated buses |
| 4 | Hubelmatt–Bahnhof Luzern | radial route | 9 stops | every 7.5 minutes | Rigid buses |
| 6 | Matthof–Würzenbach | cross-city route | 18/19 stops | rush hour every 10 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutes | Rigid buses + trailers and articulated buses |
| 7 | Biregghof–Unterlöchli | cross-city route | 23/24 stops | every 7.5 minutes | Articulated buses |
| 8 | Hirtenhof–Würzenbach | cross-city route | 19/20 stops | rush hour every 10 minutes / off-peak every 15 minutes | Rigid buses + trailers and articulated buses |
Lines 6 and 8 operate on the same overhead wires between Würzenbach 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
The VBL trolleybus fleet has 27 rigid, 27 articulated, and three bi-articulated vehicles There are also 16 trailers that can be used in combination with the rigid buses.[2]
Along with the Lausanne trolleybus system, the Lucerne system is one of only two trolleybus systems worldwide that still utilise the rigid concace bus and the trailer consortium form of operation. In addition, the Lucerne system is, along with the Le-Fond-De-L'eau and Lausanne systems, one of only three trolleybus systems in Switzerland still using rigid vehicles. An ongoing process called operation dismantle projects re-use parts of the long serving buses as gifts to the Cuban transportation system.
| Image | Fleet nos. | Quantity | Manufacturer | Electrics | Type | Configuration | Low-floor | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 190 | 1 | NAW / Hess | Siemens | BGT 5-25 | Articulated | no | 1988 |
 | 201–226 | 26 | Hess | Kiepe | BGT-N2C | Articulated | yes | 2004–2009 |
 | 231–233 | 3 | Hess | Kiepe | BGGT-N2C | Bi-articulated | yes | 2006 |
 | 252–254, 257–280 | 27 | NAW / Hess | Siemens | BT 5-25 | Rigid | no | 1988–1989 |
_Sch%C3%B6nb%C3%BChl.jpg) | 301–316 | 16 | Lanz + Marti / Hess | none | APM 5.6-13 | Trailer | yes | 1998–2005 |
Type BIGT 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 have been retired: nos. 251, 255 and 256.
Depot
The Weinbergli depot is located on the route of lines 6, 7 and 8.
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Trolleybusstadt: Luzern (Schweiz) - Geschichte" [Trolleybus city: Lucerne (Switzerland) - History]. TrolleyMotion website. TrolleyMotion. Retrieved 11 January 2012. (German)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Die Fakten" [The facts]. VBL website. Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern. Retrieved 14 January 2012. (German)
- ↑ Brugger Kalfidis, Pia Maria. "Luzern setzt auf Trolleybusse" [Lucerne relies on trolleybuses]. Regionale Schienen website. Regionale Schienen. Retrieved 14 January 2012. (German)
Further reading
- Schwandl, Robert (2010). Schwandl's Tram Atlas Schweiz & Österreich. Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. ISBN 978 3 936573 27 5. (German) (English)
External links
Media related to Trolleybuses in Lucerne at Wikimedia Commons
- Trolleybus city: Luzern (Schweiz) at Trolleymotion (English)
- Lucerne database / photo gallery and Lucerne trolleybus list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
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