Trolleybuses in Salzburg
Encyclopedia
The Salzburg trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

 system
forms part of the public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 network serving Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

, capital of the federal state
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...

 of Salzburg
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...

 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. Opened on 1 October 1940, it replaced the Salzburg tramway network.

One of only two such systems currently operating in Austria, the Salzburg trolleybus system is one of the largest trolleybus systems in western Europe. It presently carries 38 million passengers each year.

Together with the Salzburger Lokalbahn, the system is currently operated by Salzburg AG, which markets it under the name StadtBus Salzburg. It is also integrated into the Salzburger Verkehrsverbund. Along with the Salzburg S-Bahn, it forms the backbone of the Salzburg's public transport network; the city's diesel bus network, operated by Albus Salzburg, plays only a minor role.

History

On 1 October 1940, the first trolleybus ran through the streets of Salzburg, on the Siegmundsplatz–Maxglan route, which is now part of line 1. A few days later, on 24 October 1940, the extension to Makartplatz followed, and on 10 November 1940, the line was further extended, to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof at Salzburg, capital of the federal state of Salzburg in Austria. It is the most important station in the agglomeration of Salzburg, and a major transportation hub in western Austria.-Overview:...

. On 16 February 1942, the ring lines M and L (Maxglan–Lehen–Hauptbahnhof–Zentrum–Maxglan) came into operation. In the following years, the Salzburg trolleybus system recorded rapid growth, but the tramway network was destroyed.
Until the merger in 2000 of the Salzburger Stadtwerke with the SAFE (Salzburger AG für Energiewirtschaft) to create the Salzburg AG, the Salzburg trolleybus system, and the local railway line to Lamprechtshausen
Lamprechtshausen
Lamprechtshausen is a municipality in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the state of Salzburg in Austria....

, were operated by the Salzburger Stadtwerke - Verkehrsbetriebe. Some diesel bus lines also originally belonged to the company, but in the course of the 2000 merger these were transferred to Albus Salzburg.

Since 2000, therefore, the trolleybus and diesel bus services have been fully separated, both organisationally and operationally. It follows that Salzburg AG is one of the few transport companies worldwide that operates trolleybus lines, but no diesel bus lines.

In 2004, trolleybus line 1 was extended about 500 m (1,640.4 ft) from Messezentrum
Messezentrum Salzburg
.The Messezentrum Salzburg is an exhibition center in the Austrian state capital of Salzburg, in the district of Liefering. Next to the Messezentrum Salzburg, there is the Salzburgarena, a multi-functional event hall....

 to Salzburgarena
Salzburgarena
The Salzburgarena is a multi-functional hall and is situated in the Austrian state capital of Salzburg, in the district of Liefering. It is a venue for concerts, sporting events and due to flexible seating arrangements, there is space for up to 6700 people...

. Unusually, however, the new terminal was served only during events. At other times, power to the overhead wires in this area is switched off; the status of the overhead wires is displayed to the trolleybus drivers by means of a signal light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...

.

On 1 October 2005, line 1 was extended from Europark to Kavaliershaus, via the EM-Stadion
Red Bull Arena (Salzburg)
The Red Bull Arena, known during and before the Euro 2008 football championship as the EM Stadion , is a football stadium in Wals-Siezenheim, a municipality in the suburb of Salzburg, Austria. It was officially opened in March 2003 and is the home ground of Red Bull Salzburg. Previously, the club...

. On 11 December 2005, the extension of line 2 came into operation from the Hauptbahnhof to Obergnigl via Mirabellplatz and the Sterneckstraße.

A service route from the Versorgungshausstraße (line 2) via the Fürbergstraße to the Fadingerstraße was built in the spring of 2006. Especially during events in the city centre, and during the UCI Road World Championships 2006
2006 UCI Road World Championships
The 2006 UCI Road World Championships took place in Salzburg, Austria, between September 19 and September 24, 2006. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women and men under 23....

, it has been used intensively. Since then, the trolleybuses of lines 2 and 4 have operated on and off over this route. This section was the basis for the later electrification of the former Albus line 20.

Also, until September 2006 the Gaswerkgasse / Ignaz-Harrer-Strasse intersection, and the Hauptbahnhof area around the Forum-Kaufhaus/Fanny-von-Lehnert-Straße, were provided with additional turning and reversing capabilities. Likewise, since the spring of 2007 a service route has been in operation from the Landeskrankenhaus (line 7) to Willibald-Hauthaler-Straße (Line 4), and an additional turning space has been provided at the Makartplatz, in front of the Holy Trinity Church. A new turning facility on the Aiglhofkreuzung from line 4 to line 2 was created in spring 2008, as well as a dedicated lane for trolleybuses in the Griesgasse in the city centre. The latter allows the stacking-and-demand retrieval of trolleybuses in the city centre for events. With the timetable change on 7 December 2007, line 4 was extended from Langwied over the city boundary to Mayrwies, replacing bus line 4A.

In autumn 2008, the Salzburg Municipal Council decided to electrify the branch of bus line 20 to Sam / Lankessiedlung. The route follows that of line 20 from Lankessiedlung, via the Salzburg-Gnigl ​​S-Bahn station, Fuggerstraße, Volksgarten, Hanuschplatz to the Landeskrankenhaus; the line leads back to Hanuschplatz and to Sam, via Edward-Baumgartner-Straße and Karajanplatz. This work was completed in mid-2009, and bus line 20 became trolleybus line 10.

On 9 July 2009, lines 3 and 5 were extended by 500 m (1,640.4 ft) to the new Itzling Pflanzmann terminus. These were the first privately financed trolleybus sections in Salzburg.

Lines

The nine lines of the present Salzburg trolleybus system are as follows:
1 Red Bull Arena
Red Bull Arena (Salzburg)
The Red Bull Arena, known during and before the Euro 2008 football championship as the EM Stadion , is a football stadium in Wals-Siezenheim, a municipality in the suburb of Salzburg, Austria. It was officially opened in March 2003 and is the home ground of Red Bull Salzburg. Previously, the club...

 – Messe
Messezentrum Salzburg
.The Messezentrum Salzburg is an exhibition center in the Austrian state capital of Salzburg, in the district of Liefering. Next to the Messezentrum Salzburg, there is the Salzburgarena, a multi-functional event hall....

 (– Salzburgarena
Salzburgarena
The Salzburgarena is a multi-functional hall and is situated in the Austrian state capital of Salzburg, in the district of Liefering. It is a venue for concerts, sporting events and due to flexible seating arrangements, there is space for up to 6700 people...

)
2 Walserfeld
Wals-Siezenheim
Wals-Siezenheim is a municipality in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Salzburg.-Overview:It is located west of the city of Salzburg, at the border with Germany...

 – Obergnigl
from 1986 to 2003 part of Line 77
3 Salzburg Süd – Itzling Pflanzmann from 1986 to 2003 Line 51
4 Mayrwies
Hallwang
Hallwang is a municipality in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the state of Salzburg in Austria....

/Langwied – Liefering
from 1986 to 2003 Line 29 or 29A
5 Birkensiedlung – Hauptbahnhof
Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof at Salzburg, capital of the federal state of Salzburg in Austria. It is the most important station in the agglomeration of Salzburg, and a major transportation hub in western Austria.-Overview:...

 (– Itzling Pflanzmann)
6 Parsch – Itzling West
7 Salzburg Süd – Salzachsee from 1986 to 2003 Line 49
8 Salzburg Süd – Himmelreich
Wals-Siezenheim
Wals-Siezenheim is a municipality in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Salzburg.-Overview:It is located west of the city of Salzburg, at the border with Germany...

 
from 1986 to 2003 part of Line 95
10 Sam – Landeskrankenhaus (– Schule Lehen)

Projects

In October 2010, plans for new extensions were presented. It is proposed to run line 10 through the Strubergasse in future, and thereby provide a better connection with the Struber barracks. Additionally, by means of a branch in the Karolingerstrasse, line 8 will serve the many businesses and residents in that district. The city of Salzburg plans to invest around €2.2 million in these two projects up to 2015.

For quite some time, an extension to Eugendorf
Eugendorf
Eugendorf is a market town of 6,439 inhabitants in the district of Salzburg-Umgebung in the state of Salzburg in Austria.-Geography:The town is located around 10 kilometres to the north-east of Salzburg, between the city and the Wallersee lake....

, or a cross-border line to Freilassing
Freilassing
Freilassing is a municipality of some 16,000 inhabitants situated in the southeastern corner of Bavaria, Germany. It belongs to the "Regierungsbezirk" Oberbayern and the "Landkreis" of Berchtesgadener Land...

 in Germany, have also been discussed.

Former fleet

Until recently, almost all of the trolleybuses operating on the Salzburg system were made either by the German company MAN or its Austrian counterpart Gräf & Stift
Gräf & Stift
Gräf & Stift was an Austrian manufacturer of automobiles, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, from 1902 until 2001, latterly as a subsidiary of MAN. Founded in 1902 by the brothers Franz, Heinrich and Karl Gräf, and the investor, Wilhelm Stift...

. After the former company took over the latter in 1971, the Gräf & Stift name remained in use as an MAN brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 for the Austrian market and for trolleybuses until 2001, when ÖAF-Gräf & Stift AG was renamed MAN Sonderfahrzeuge AG.

With the retirement of large numbers of Gräf & Stift vehicles since the start of the 21st century, the MAN/Gräf & Stift portion of the fleet has been now much reduced.

Some of the retired Salzburg vehicles were sold to other trolleybus operators. By that means, former Salzburg trolleybuses later entered service on the since closed trolleybus system in Kapfenberg, Austria, and also in Germany (Eberswalde
Trolleybuses in Eberswalde
The Eberswalde trolleybus system serves the city of Eberswalde, in the Land of Brandenburg, Germany.Opened on 3 November 1940, it is the oldest of the three remaining trolleybus systems in Germany.-See also:*Eberswalde Hauptbahnhof...

), Lithuania (Vilnius), Romania (Mediaş and Timișoara) and Russia (Perm and Rybinsk).

Until 1975, trolleybuses also operated with trailers. Salzburg was the last trolleybus network in Austria in which this form of operation was to be found. There were four different models of trailer available. They were made ​​by Gräf & Stift (type OA I), Kässbohrer
Kässbohrer
Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke was a German vehicle manufacturer in Ulm. Its products were buses, coaches, vehicle transporters, trailers and special vehicles like snow groomer vehicles....

 (without model designation), Lohner (type OM 5/1) and Schumann (without model designation).

Table of former fleet

Numbers Quantity Manufacturer Model No Configuration Entered service Retired Notes
10 MAN / Schumann  MPE I Standard (two-axle) 1940 1967
4 VETRA CS 60 Standard (two-axle) 1941 1943
10 MAN / Schumann MPE II Standard (two-axle) 1942 1966
6 Gräf & Stift
Gräf & Stift
Gräf & Stift was an Austrian manufacturer of automobiles, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, from 1902 until 2001, latterly as a subsidiary of MAN. Founded in 1902 by the brothers Franz, Heinrich and Karl Gräf, and the investor, Wilhelm Stift...

 
EO I Standard (two-axle) 1948 1974
1 MAN / Gräf & Stift EO I Standard (two-axle) 1951 1971
3 MAN / Gräf & Stift EO II Standard (two-axle) 1956 1970
3 Uerdingen
DUEWAG
The DUEWAG AG was one of Germany's major manufacturers for rail vehicles. The business was sold in 1999 to Siemens transportation.- History :The company was founded in 1898 as Waggonfabrik Uerdingen AG in Uerdingen...

 / Henschel 
ÜHIIIs  Standard (two-axle) 1956 1976
5 Henschel HS 160 OSL-G  Articulated 1961 1979
136–142 7 Gräf & Stift GEO II Articulated 1961 1980
5 Gräf & Stift GE 105/54/57 Articulated 1964 1983
14 Gräf & Stift GE 105/54/54 Articulated 1966 1989
101–112 12 Gräf & Stift OE 105/54 Standard (two-axle) 1971 1990
113–123 11 Gräf & Stift OE 110/54/A Standard (two-axle) 1975 1993
155–160 6 Gräf & Stift GE 110/54/57/A Articulated 1976 1992
161 1 Gräf & Stift GE 150 M 16 Articulated 1979 1993 Induction motor
Induction motor
An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...

129–147, 162–186 44 Gräf & Stift GE 110 M 16 Articulated 1980 2002 No 178 now a heritage vehicle.
101–106 6 Gräf & Stift OE 112 M 11 Standard (two-axle) 1986 2002
107–110 4 Steyr
Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria, which was broken up in stages between 1987 and 2001. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.-History:...

 
STS 11 HU Standard (two-axle) 1989 2003 No 109 now a heritage vehicle.
111–114 4 Steyr STS 11 HU 140 Standard (two-axle) 1990 2003
200, 218 2 Gräf & Stift GE 112 M 16 Articulated 1989 2011

Current fleet

The oldest vehicles in the current fleet are the 23 high-floor
High-floor
High-floor is an expression used to distinguish tram, light rail and other rail vehicles, along with buses and trolleybuses, built to formerly conventional design, from their counterparts of low-floor design....

 Gräf & Stift articulated trolleybuses
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...

 built between 1988 and 1994. With three exceptions, they are powered by an induction motor
Induction motor
An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...

. This series originally consisted of 36 vehicles, of which 35 were built for Salzburg. The other one, fleet no 220, was bought secondhand from the Kapfenberg trolleybus system.

The first low-floor trolleybuses
Low-floor bus
A low-floor bus is a bus that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. Being low floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly or infirm, or those with push chairs, and increasingly, those in wheelchairs.In the modern...

 to be added to the system were the 23 MAN articulated vehicles constructed between 1994 and 1997. One of them, fleet no 240, is likewise a used vehicle from Kapfenberg.

The Van Hool
Van Hool
Van Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...

 vehicle generation, in the fleet since 2000, similarly offers only low-floor entrances. Of the 32 Van Hool vehicles, 13 were equipped with a diesel-powered auxiliary drive, the first such devices to be fitted to vehicles in the Salzburg fleet. On 24 November 2008, two more Van Hool articulated vehicles arrived in Salzburg as secondhand acquisitions from the Vevey–Villeneuve trolleybus system, in Switzerland. These had been Vevey–Villeneuve fleet nos 2 and 15, built in 1995. Following renovation work, they were put back into service, with new fleet nos 259 and 260. They were also painted, into the same dark red livery as features on the trains of the Salzburger Lokalbahn.

Of the latest Solaris
Solaris Bus & Coach
Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. is a bus, coach and trolleybus manufacturer based in Bolechowo-Osiedle and Środa Wielkopolska, near Poznań, Poland.It is a family-owned business, with Krzysztof Olszewski as president and his wife Solange as chairman...

 Trollino 18 generation of vehicles, the first three were delivered on 14 September 2009. Eight more followed in 2010, and the remaining nine were scheduled to go into operation in 2011 and 2012. There is also an option for two further trolleybuses of this type. The new Solaris vehicles are also painted dark red and have an auxiliary drive. In February 2010, one Solaris vehicle, fleet no 301, was lent to the Eberswalde trolleybus system
Trolleybuses in Eberswalde
The Eberswalde trolleybus system serves the city of Eberswalde, in the Land of Brandenburg, Germany.Opened on 3 November 1940, it is the oldest of the three remaining trolleybus systems in Germany.-See also:*Eberswalde Hauptbahnhof...

 in Germany for presentation purposes.

Additionally, the procurement of a bi-articulated trolleybus
Bi-articulated bus
A bi-articulated bus or double articulated bus is an extension of an articulated bus in that it has three passenger compartment sections instead of two. This also involves the addition of an extra axle...

 is anticipated for the near future.

Table of the current fleet

Numbers Quantity Manufacturer Electrical
equipment
Year built Model Low-floor
Low-floor bus
A low-floor bus is a bus that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. Being low floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly or infirm, or those with push chairs, and increasingly, those in wheelchairs.In the modern...

 
Auxiliary drive Notes
201–214
219–228
24 Gräf & Stift
Gräf & Stift
Gräf & Stift was an Austrian manufacturer of automobiles, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, from 1902 until 2001, latterly as a subsidiary of MAN. Founded in 1902 by the brothers Franz, Heinrich and Karl Gräf, and the investor, Wilhelm Stift...

 
Kiepe
Vossloh Kiepe
Vossloh Kiepe is a German manufacturer of electrical traction equipment for trams, trolleybuses and other transport vehicles, as well as air-conditioning and heating systems, and conveyor device components.-History:...

 
1987–1994 GE 112 M 16 no no 220 = ex-Kapfenberg no 25, in the fleet since 2005, with conductor seat.
229–238
240–252
23 Gräf & Stift / MAN Kiepe 1994–1997 NGT 204 M 16 yes no 240 = ex-Kapfenberg no 35, in the fleet since 2003.
259–260 2 Van Hool
Van Hool
Van Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...

 
Kiepe 1995 AG 300 T yes yes Formerly VMCV nos 2 and 15, in the fleet since 2009, without automatic current collector.
261–290 30 Van Hool Kiepe 2000–2005 AG 300 T yes yes (261, 279–290)
no (262–278)
301–315 15 Solaris
Solaris Bus & Coach
Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. is a bus, coach and trolleybus manufacturer based in Bolechowo-Osiedle and Środa Wielkopolska, near Poznań, Poland.It is a family-owned business, with Krzysztof Olszewski as president and his wife Solange as chairman...

 
Cegelec
Cegelec
Cegelec is a European company providing technological services to companies and public authorities. It has a workforce of 25,000 and has a presence in 30 countries. It has been a subsidiary of Vinci since 2010....

 
2009–2010 Trollino 18  yes yes

Heritage fleet

The oldest operable trolleybus in Salzburg is a 1957 model ÜHIIIs. This is not an original Salzburg vehicle; with the fictitious number 123, it comes from the Solingen trolleybus system
Trolleybuses in Solingen
The Solingen trolleybus system , also known locally as the Stangentaxi, serves the city of Solingen, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....

 (former number 40) and has been loaned by an English collector.

Since July 2007, the ÜHIIIs has been operating special trips in Salzburg, for which it wears a Salzburg livery. The vehicle can also be hired privately. From late July to late August each year, to coincide with the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

, the ÜHIIIs runs on a regular basis every Friday, on a special heritage line of the Association Pro Obus Salzburg eV. In 2012, the vehicle will return to England.

Two other serviceable heritage vehicles, also in the care of Pro Obus Salzburg eV, are the 1985-built Gräf & Stift articulated trolleybus no 178, and the 1988-built Steyr conventional trolleybus no 109. Both are still used in scheduled passenger service in the rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...

s. This serves the dual purpose of avoiding deterioration of the heritage vehicles in storage, and better covering peak demand.

External links

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