I visited Lugano in April 2001, not knowing that two months later the trolleybuses would end. I also visited here in September 2000, making extensive use of the trolleybus. Thanks for posting this!
@Klingl3r i guess switching to a lower volt system essentially means the need acquire new power supply system and new electrical equipment for substations, etc. The city wanted to avoid the higher costs involved. Nevertheless, one cannot rule out the possibility that unusual power supply voltage was being used as an excuse to conveniently wipe out the trolleybuses for even cheaper alternatives, which were conventional diesel buses.
Do not forget that presumably demand for public transport by 2001 was far lower than when it opened in 1954 (and even lower than that for when the lines were constructed for the tramway).
Modificando la tensione di alimentazione non sarebbe stato possibile mantenerli? E' davvero un peccato che si sia rinunciato a questi mezzi sia veloci si molto ecologici. Peccato! Anche i tram sarebbe stato belli poterli ancora avere a Lugano. :(
Ho capito: grazie per le info. In ogni caso, secondo me, qualche linea sia filoviaria sia soprattutto tranviaria, avrebbe potuto esserci in una bella città come Lugano, pur avendo la struttura collinare (Innsbruck docet). Un saluto. Gian ;-)
Many times this has been suggested but transport decision makers seem to have always preferred other solutions - typically these being options that include noxious waste gases being spewed into the street environment. Even today (2020) there is a role for trolleybuses, this being as range extenders for battery buses so that even the longest bus routes can be converted to electric traction. Many overseas cities are seeing the advantages of in-motion charging (IMC) battery trolleybuses which top-up the battery charge whilst in trolleybus mode.
echt schade, daß das Trolleybussystem für Dieselbusse aufgegeben wurde und das bei den extremen Steigungen, für die Trolleybusse geradezu wie geschaffen sind. Die Stadt hat damit deutlich an Attraktivität und insbesondere Luftqualität verloren. In Zeiten der Erderwärmung war dies eine gravierende Fehlentscheidung in der eigentlich so umweltpolitisch so vorbildlichen Schweiz. Gleichwertige Alternativen wie Wasserstoffbusse fehlen nachwievor im Straßenbild.
Yes it is a shame - I think it was partly because Lugano was the last city to have trolleybuses powered at 1000v AC, so it was not easy to buy a small fleet of new trolleybuses
Una spiegazione c'e: Lugano, pur essendo una citta' svizzera, e' a meno di 30 km dall'Italia, praticamente impossibile non subirne un po' di nefasta influenza!... Basti pensare anche al becero trenino stradale da fiera paesana che funge da "city tour"... molto meglio sarebbe stato a questo punto, visto che tram e filobus non ci sono piu', un vecchio bus urbano, come per esempio a Lisbona...
Rispondo un po' in ritardo: mezzi veloci no, per carità. Ecologici probabilmente ma la struttura collinare della città di Lugano mal si presta a linee con struttura semirigida come le filovie. A parte la tensione inusuale di 1'000 V il costo dei mezzi era ritenuto esagerato (circa il doppio) rispetto a bus articolati con motore diesel.
![Trolleybus - Le Havre [Film]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D8ybeFFQN8I/mqdefault.jpg)
Was very intersting to get acquanted with Lugano trolleybus. Thank you!
I visited Lugano in April 2001, not knowing that two months later the trolleybuses would end. I also visited here in September 2000, making extensive use of the trolleybus. Thanks for posting this!
@Klingl3r i guess switching to a lower volt system essentially means the need acquire new power supply system and new electrical equipment for substations, etc. The city wanted to avoid the higher costs involved. Nevertheless, one cannot rule out the possibility that unusual power supply voltage was being used as an excuse to conveniently wipe out the trolleybuses for even cheaper alternatives, which were conventional diesel buses.
Do not forget that presumably demand for public transport by 2001 was far lower than when it opened in 1954 (and even lower than that for when the lines were constructed for the tramway).
Modificando la tensione di alimentazione non sarebbe stato possibile mantenerli? E' davvero un peccato che si sia rinunciato a questi mezzi sia veloci si molto ecologici. Peccato! Anche i tram sarebbe stato belli poterli ancora avere a Lugano. :(
Ho capito: grazie per le info. In ogni caso, secondo me, qualche linea sia filoviaria sia soprattutto tranviaria, avrebbe potuto esserci in una bella città come Lugano, pur avendo la struttura collinare (Innsbruck docet). Un saluto. Gian ;-)
Bring trolleybuses back to English cities!
Many times this has been suggested but transport decision makers seem to have always preferred other solutions - typically these being options that include noxious waste gases being spewed into the street environment.
Even today (2020) there is a role for trolleybuses, this being as range extenders for battery buses so that even the longest bus routes can be converted to electric traction. Many overseas cities are seeing the advantages of in-motion charging (IMC) battery trolleybuses which top-up the battery charge whilst in trolleybus mode.
echt schade, daß das Trolleybussystem für Dieselbusse aufgegeben wurde und das bei den extremen Steigungen, für die Trolleybusse geradezu wie geschaffen sind. Die Stadt hat damit deutlich an Attraktivität und insbesondere Luftqualität verloren. In Zeiten der Erderwärmung war dies eine gravierende Fehlentscheidung in der eigentlich so umweltpolitisch so vorbildlichen Schweiz. Gleichwertige Alternativen wie Wasserstoffbusse fehlen nachwievor im Straßenbild.
Yes it is a shame - I think it was partly because Lugano was the last city to have trolleybuses powered at 1000v AC, so it was not easy to buy a small fleet of new trolleybuses
Negli anni '70 non dovevano togliere i tram, i filobus erano stranissimi (sono di lugano) ora i bus diesel sono troppo grossi e troppo ingombranti!
Una spiegazione c'e: Lugano, pur essendo una citta' svizzera, e' a meno di 30 km dall'Italia, praticamente impossibile non subirne un po' di nefasta influenza!... Basti pensare anche al becero trenino stradale da fiera paesana che funge da "city tour"... molto meglio sarebbe stato a questo punto, visto che tram e filobus non ci sono piu', un vecchio bus urbano, come per esempio a Lisbona...
Rispondo un po' in ritardo: mezzi veloci no, per carità. Ecologici probabilmente ma la struttura collinare della città di Lugano mal si presta a linee con struttura semirigida come le filovie. A parte la tensione inusuale di 1'000 V il costo dei mezzi era ritenuto esagerato (circa il doppio) rispetto a bus articolati con motore diesel.