Trolleybuses in Ruse

The Ruse trolleybus system (Bulgarian: Русенски тролейбусен транспорт) is a part of the public transport network of the city and municipality of Ruse, the fifth most populous in Bulgaria. Opened in 1988, the system currently has seven lines and forms the backbone of the city's transport system. 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
Stock48 trolleybuses
Statistics
Track length (total)63 km (39 mi)
Overview
Websitehttp://www.transport-ruse.com Municipal 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 trolleybuses. In the following years, as the city was developing, the cable network was extended throughout the central areas and the industrial zones, replacing many bus routes with trolleybuses.

It was announced on November 1, 2008 that Ruse municipality had signed a concession agreement 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. Work also included the replacement of damaged trolleybus pillars and their repainting. It was during this period that conductor service was discontinued for all trolleybus lines as a permanent cost-cutting measure.[2] 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 and low overall profitability, the trolleybus transport entity was once again transferred to the local municipality on August 31, 2017.[3]

Throughout the city, new switches equipped with automatic remote control functionality were installed in 2022 to replace outdated infrastructure and enhance trolleybus performance.[4] Public tenders have also been launched for the refurbishment of overhead wires between the central railway station and the gray mill.

Services

Today, the Ruse trolleybus network has 7 lines:[5]

Line Route Stops
2"Treti Mart" Blvrd. – "Sent Uan" Str. – "Nikolaevska" Str. – "Skobelev" Blvrd. – "Lipnik" Blvrd.15 stops
9Charodeyka 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
21Charodeyka 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
29Charodeyka 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 operation of the trolleybus system. For this purpose, 12 Skoda and 5 NAW/Lauber trolleybuses in used condition were purchased to supplement the local fleet of aging vehicles in 2019. Determined to be most suitable for the current needs of the city, a further 20 NAW/Lauber vehicles were acquired by early 2022. Ruse is expected to receive 15 new trolleybuses from Czech manufacturer SOR Libchavy by the end of 2023.[6]

In serviceManufacturerTypeModelLow-floorBuiltRemarks
25 units NAW/Lauber 91T rigid no 1986–1990 ex Lausanne.
6 units FBW/Hess 91T rigid no 1982–1983 ex Lausanne.

Not in active service. 2 units scrapped.

11 units Skoda Electric 21TrACI rigid no 2001-2003 ex Plzeň.

1 donor vehicle.

6 units Renault ER100H rigid no 1989 ex Limoges.

Not in active service. 2 units scrapped.

Past fleet

During the early years of the network, solely 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, consisting 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, others remain in operation.

QuantityManufacturerTypeModelLow-floorBuiltRemarks
56 units ZiU ZiU-9 rigid no 1988-1990 Soviet built vehicles.
5 units ZiU ZiU-10 articulated no 1989 Soviet built vehicles.
29 units Iveco 2470 Socimi rigid no 1983-1984 ex Milan.

1 vehicle donated to Ruse University.

2 units Skoda Electric 14Tr rigid no 1989 ex Plzeň. Training vehicle retired in June 2022.
7 units Neoplan N6021 articulated yes 1995–1996 ex 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. Kalamov, Nikolai. "Съкращават кондуктори в градския транспорт на Русе". Trud. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. Todorov, Konstantin. "Община Русе стана собственик на тролейбусния транспорт в града (снимки)". Novini. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  4. NRJ Soft. "Ен Ер Джи Софт ЕООД сключи Договор с Общински Транспорт Русе ЕАД". NRJ Soft. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  5. "Schedules". bg Transport Ruse website. Municipal Transport Ruse AD. Retrieved 31 October 2021. (in Bulgarian)
  6. "Скоро в Русе ще се движат нови тролейбуси SOR NS 12". Rousseinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2022.

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