Trolleybuses in Ruse

The Ruse trolleybus system (Bulgarian: Русенски тролейбусен транспорт) forms part of the public transport network of the city and municipality of Ruse, the fifth most populous city in Bulgaria. Opened in 1988, the system currently has seven lines. Its approximate length is 63 km and has been designed to work with 600V DC electricity.[1] Over the years, various models of trolleybuses have been operated in Ruse.

Ruse trolleybus system
Modern-day Renault trolleybus seen at the main roundabout in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Operation
LocaleRuse, Bulgaria
Open9 September 1988 (1988-09-09)
StatusOpen
Routes7
Operator(s)Общински Транспорт Русе АД
(Municipal Transport Ruse AD)
Infrastructure
Electrification600 V DC
Depot(s)1
Stock49 trolleybuses
Statistics
Track length (total)63 km (39 mi)
Overview
WebsiteMunicipal Transport Ruse (in English)

History
A ZiU-9 trolleybus operating on route 27 in 1993

The first trolleybus in the city of Ruse departed in 1988, along the route starting from the Western Industrial Zone. Lines were operated using ZiU-682 trolleybuses. In the following years, as the city was developing, so did the cable network. It was extended throughout the central areas and the industrial zones, replacing many bus routes with trolleybuses.

On 1 November 2008, Ruse municipality concluded a concession contract with the Bulgarian branch of the Israeli transport company Egged. Under the concession, management of the trolleybus network in the city became the responsibility of the private Egged Ruse transport holding. In 2015, around 70% of the overhead wire network was replaced under the integrated urban transport project. The project also focused on replacing a number of trolleybus pillars and their repainting. During this time period, lines also began operating without conductor service. Passengers instead purchase subscription and prepaid cards or a single-use ticket directly from the driver.

After nearly nine years of operating under a private holding, the trolleybus transport was once again transferred to the local municipality on 31 August 2017.[2] The municipally-owned company operating the trolleybus lines in the city is named "Municipal Transport Ruse". Under present conditions, not all of the trolleybus overhead network is being used and there are plans to increase the number of trolleybus lines in order to improve coverage. However, these plans also pose a number of challenges as some of the trolleybus infrastructure in Ruse has fallen into disrepair, most notably the trolleybus wires between the central station and the gray mill.

Services

Today, the Ruse trolleybus network has 7 lines:[3]

Line Route Stops
2"Treti Mart" Blvrd. – "Sent Uan" Str. – "Nikolaevska" Str. – "Skobelev" Blvrd. – "Lipnik" Blvrd.15 stops
9Charodeika South-Residential District – "Hristo Botev" Blvrd – "Stefan Stambolov" Str. – "Treti Mart" Blvrd.12/13 stops
13Druzhba 3 Residential District – "Dame Gruev" Str. – "Tsar Osvoboditel" Blvrd. - "Lipnik" Blvrd. – Ruse Sorting yard.14 stops
21Charodeika South-Residential District – "Tsar Osvoboditel" Blvrd. – "Lipnik" Blvrd. – Ruse Sorting yard.13 stops
24Druzhba 3 Residential District – "Tsar Osvoboditel" Blvrd – "Skobelev" Blvrd. – "Treti Mart" Blvrd.13/14 stops
27Druzhba 3 Residential District – "Hristo Botev" Blvrd. – "Syedinenie" Blvrd. – "Tutrakan" Blvrd.15 stops
29Charodeika South-Residential District – "Hristo Botev" Blvrd. – "Syedinenie" Blvrd. – "Pliska" Str. – "Tutrakan" Blvrd.14 stops

Fleet

Current fleet

The main short-term goal for Ruse municipality has been to ensure the proper operation of the trolleybus system. For this purpose, 5 used NAW / Lauber 91T trolleybuses from Lausanne, Switzerland, as well as 12 Skoda 21 TrACI vehicles from Plzeň, Czech Republic were purchased to supplement the local fleet of aging vehicles. In 2021, a further 14 NAW / Lauber 91T trolleybuses were acquired, with plans for 6 more vehicles of the same model to be delivered in 2022. An additional public tender for the purchase of 15 brand new trolleybuses to replace older vehicles has been launched.

QuantityManufacturerTypeModelLow-floorBuiltRemarks
19 units NAW / Lauber 91T rigid no 1986–1990 ex Lausanne
12 units Skoda Electric 21TrACI rigid no 2001-2003 ex Plzeň
8 unitsFBW / Hess91Trigidno1982–1983ex Lausanne
8 units Renault ER100H rigid no 1989 ex Limoges
2 units Skoda Electric 14Tr rigid no 1989 ex Plzeň, training vehicle

(one out of service)

Past fleet

During the early years of the network, solely Soviet ZiU trolleys were used. Retired trolleybuses from the Swiss cities of Basel, Bern, and Winterthur were then introduced to the network in the late 1990s. The entire stock of vehicles, comprising of Soviet built ZiU and former Swiss trolleybuses, was replaced in several stages between 2008 and 2013 with second hand trolleybuses from various European countries. Many of these vehicles have also been retired since the reacquisition of the transport holding by the local municipality, while others remain in operation.

QuantityManufacturerTypeModelLow-floorBuiltRemarks
56 units ZiU-9 ZiU-9 rigid no 1988-1990 Soviet built vehicles
5 units ZiU-10 ZiU-10 articulated no 1989 Soviet built vehicles
29 units Iveco 2470 Socimi rigid no 1983-1984 ex Milan
7 unitsNeoplanN6021articulatedyes1995–1996ex Basel
2 units Mercedes-Benz O405GTD articulated no 1990 ex Esslingen
6 units Berna 4GTP articulated no 1965-1969 ex Basel and Winterthur
4 units FBW Tr51 rigid no 1956 ex Basel
6 units FBW GTr51 articulated no 1961 ex Bern

See also

References
  1. Mitko Marinov, Pavel Stoyanov (2011). "Analysis of the condition of the trolleybus electrical network in Ruse" (PDF). Retrieved 31 October 2021. (in Bulgarian)
  2. Todorov, Konstantin. "Община Русе стана собственик на тролейбусния транспорт в града (снимки)". Novini. Novini. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  3. "Schedules". bg Transport Ruse website. Municipal Transport Ruse AD. Retrieved 31 October 2021. (in Bulgarian)

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