Trolleybuses in Winterthur
| Winterthur trolleybus system | |||
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A Mercedes-Benz O405 GTZ trolleybus at Winterthur Hauptbahnhof (main railway station). | |||
| Operation | |||
| Locale | Winterthur, Switzerland | ||
| Open | 1938 | ||
| Status | Open | ||
| Routes | 3 | ||
| Operator(s) | Stadtbus Winterthur | ||
| |||
| Website | Stadtbus Winterthur (German) | ||
The Winterthur trolleybus system (Alemannic German: Trolleybus System Winterthur) forms part of the public transport network that serves Winterthur, in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
Opened on 28 December 1938, the system gradually replaced the Winterthur tramway network.
History
The individual line sections of the Winterthur trolleybus system went into operation as follows:
| 28 December 1938 | Hauptbahnhof–Wülflingen Lindenplatz (3.1 km) | Line 2 | Tram replacement |
| 24 July 1941 | Hauptbahnhof–Seen (4.2 km) | Line 2 | Tram replacement |
| 26 April 1948 | Hauptbahnhof–Rosenberg | Line 3 | Bus replacement |
| 6 October 1951 | Hauptbahnhof–Oberwinterthur Bahnhof (2.9 km) | Line 1 | Tram replacement |
| 3 November 1951 | Hauptbahnhof–Zentrum Töss (1.8 km) | Line 1 | Tram replacement |
| 4 October 1960 | Wülflingen Lindenplatz–Wülflingen | Line 2 | New connection |
| 4 October 1960 | Hauptbahnhof–Breite–Hauptbahnhof | Line 3 | Bus replacement |
| 2 June 1965 | Zentrum Töss–Töss | Line 1 | New connection |
| 16 June 1982 | Oberwinterthur Bahnhof–Oberwinterthur | Line 1 | New connection |
| 26 October 1991 | Hauptbahnhof–Oberseen | Line 6 | Bus replacement |
| 6 April 2011 | Friedhof / Schachenweg–Rosenberg | Line 3 | New connection |
With the timetable change on 23 May 1982, the Rosenberg line (line 3) was separated from the Breite line (a new line 4). The latter line, which operated as a circle line, was converted back into a diesel bus service on 28 May 1995, and the last remaining traces of its overhead wires disappeared at the end of January 2010.
Meanwhile, in December 2006, lines 3 and 6 were merged into the present line 3.
Lines
The present system is made up of the following lines, all of them cross-city routes:
| 1 | Töss–Hauptbahnhof–Oberwinterthur | In rush hour at 6-minute intervals, with 10 trolleybuses. |
| 2 | Wülflingen–Hauptbahnhof–Seen | In rush hour at 6-minute intervals, with 11 trolleybuses. |
| 3 | Rosenberg–Hauptbahnhof–Oberseen | In rush hour at 7.5-minute intervals, with 10 trolleybuses. |
Fleet
Evolution
The Winterthur trolleybus system was operated initially by conventional length, two-axle vehicles. In 1957, the first five articulated trolleybuses were ordered. They entered service in 1959.
In 1997, Stadtbus Winterthur sold a few trolleybuses to the Romanian city of Timișoara. Other trolleybuses were sold in 1998 to the Bulgarian city of Ruse, and, a year later, to Burgas, also in Bulgaria.
In March 2004, an order for 10 articulated trolleybuses was placed with Solaris Bus & Coach. In November 2005, the first trolleybus in this order was delivered. By the end of 2005, all had entered service; they replaced the Saurer trolleybuses nos. 122-131.
Current fleet
| Numbers | Quantity | Manufacturer | Electrical equipment | Model | Low-floor | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101–124 | 24 | Hess | Kiepe | BGT-N2C | yes | 2010 - 2013 |
| 171–180 | 10 | Solaris | Cegelec | Trollino 18 | yes | 2004 / 2005 |
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Saurer articulated trolleybus 128 from 1982 (since withdrawn), in Oberseen, 2005.
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A Solaris Trollino 18 articulated trolleybus in Töss.
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Swisstrolley 111, an example of the newest Winterthur trolleybus generation.
See also
References
- Schwandl, Robert (2010). Schwandl's Tram Atlas Schweiz & Österreich. Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. ISBN 978 3 936573 27 5. (German) (English)
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trolleybuses in Winterthur. |
- Stadtbus Winterthur - history of public transport in Winterthur (German)
- Stadtbus Winterthur - trolleybus fleet (German)
- Winterthur public transport map
- Trolleybus city : Winterthur at Trolleymotion (English)
- Winterthur database / photo gallery and Winterthur trolleybus list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
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