Trolleybuses in Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel trolleybus system
Hess Swisstrolley in Neuchâtel, 2010.
Operation
Locale	Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Open	16 February 1940 (1940-02-16)
Status	Open
Routes	4
Operator(s)	Transports en commun de Neuchâtel et environs
Infrastructure
Electrification	600 V DC
Statistics
Route length	25.7 km
current	10.6 million/year
Overview Cormondrèche  101  Corcelles-Collège Serrières  102  Place Pury  107  Terreaux Temple des Valangines  102  Monruz Hauterive Sentier CFF station Saint-Blaise Marin-Epagnier station 101 107
Website	http://www.tnneuchatel.ch/ Transports en commun de Neuchâtel et environs (TN) Template:Fr icon

The Neuchâtel trolleybus system (French: Réseau de trolleybus de Neuchâtel) is part of the public transport network in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Opened in 1940, it gradually replaced the urban lines of the Neuchâtel tramway network.

The system currently also serves the neighbouring municipalities of Auvernier, Peseux, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise und La Tène. It is operated by Transports en commun de Neuchâtel et environs (TN), which also runs an interurban tramway to Boudry and various conventional bus lines.

History

The individual sections of trolleybus line in Neuchâtel went into service as follows:

16 February 1940	Place Pury–Serrières
21 May 1949	Place Pury–Temple des Valangines
1 July 1949	Terreaux–Petit-Savagnier
29 August 1957	Place Pury–Saint-Blaise
11 July 1976	Place Pury–Corcelles-Collège
30 August 1976	Corcelles-Collège–Cormondrèche
9 October 1978	Saint-Blaise–Marin-Epagnier Gare

The Rocher–Petit-Savagnier section was closed again in 1968/69. It had been a link to an interurban line in the Val de Ruz, but was nevertheless operationally separate, and was operated by another company.

Lines

There are currently four trolleybus lines in Neuchâtel (line 1 is a cross-town route; the other three lines are radial routes):

1	Cormondrèche–Place Pury–Marin-Epagnier Gare	7.5 minute intervals	12.9 km
2	Place Pury–Serrières	10 minute intervals	02.6 km
7	Place Pury–Hauterive (–Marin-Epagnier Gare)	7.5 minute intervals	08.1 km
8	Place Pury–Temple des Valangines	10 minute intervals	02.1 km

Fleet

Neuchâtel's present trolleybus fleet consists of 36 exclusively articulated vehicles:

	Fleet nos	Quantity	Manufacturer	Electrics	Type	Model	Built
	101–102, 105, 107–109, 112–121	16	NAW / Hess	ABB	BGT 5-25	High-floor	1991
	131–150	20	Hess	Kiepe	BGT-N2C	Low-floor	2009–2011

The type BGT 5-25 fleet originally comprised 21 vehicles, but fleet nos 103, 104, 106, 110 and 111 have since been replaced by low-floor vehicles. As there were no low-floor trolleybuses in the fleet prior to the delivery of the BGT-N2C type Swisstrolleys, lines 1 and 7 were operated between 2004 and 2010 by a mixed fleet of trolleybuses and low-floor diesel buses. Under that arrangement, the travelling public was offered at least some barrier free trips - which were identified in the timetable.

See also

• List of trolleybus systems in Switzerland
• Trams in Neuchâtel

References

Books

• Schwandl, Robert (2010). Schwandl's Tram Atlas Schweiz & Österreich. Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. ISBN 978 3 936573 27 5. (in German and English)

External links

Media related to Trolleybuses in Neuchâtel at Wikimedia Commons

• Association Neuchâteloise des Amis du Tramway (Neuchâtel Association of Friends of the Tramway) – official site Template:Fr icon
• "Trolleybus city: Neuchâtel (Schweiz)". Trolleymotion.
• Neuchâtel database / photo gallery and Neuchâtel trolleybus list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.