Trolleybuses in Fribourg

The Fribourg trolleybus system () forms part of the public transport network in Fribourg, capital of the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. The system also serves the neighbouring municipalities of Villars-sur-Glâne and Givisiez, using one line in each case.

History

The current system is the second of two trolleybus systems to operate in Fribourg. The first opened on 4 January 1912 and connected the town with Farvagny. The solitary route, long, was largely rural, and the fleet comprised just three vehicles. It closed on 21 May 1932. It was the first trolleybus system in Switzerland and was the country's only such service for its entire 20-year existence. The Lausanne trolleybus system opened a few months after closure of the Fribourg–Farvagny line.

The second Fribourg trolleybus system opened on 31 January 1949 and gradually replaced the Fribourg tramway network, the last line of which closed on 31 March 1965.

The individual line sections of the Fribourg trolleybus system went into operation as follows:

31 January 1949 Jura Chassotte–St-Pierre–Gare-CFF (2.92 km) 15 May 1949 Tilleul–St-Pierre und Gare-CFF–Vignettaz-Daler 1 October 1959 Tilleul–Schoenberg Dunant 1 April 1965 Poya–Tilleul und Gare–Pérolles Charmettes ? Vignettaz-Daler–Villars-sur-Glâne, Moncor 16 June 2005 Villars-sur-Glâne, Moncor–Villars-sur-Glâne, Les Dailles (1.23 km) 18 December 2010 Givisiez, Mont-Carmel–Jura Chassotte

Six new trolleybuses with in-motion charging capability, nos. 6611–6616, delivered in 2024–2025, were planned to be used to introduce trolleybus service on bus route 6 – without need for any new overhead wires, as route 6 runs under the wires of route 2 for much of its length and these vehicles are able to operate on battery power on route sections lacking overhead wiring. The first of these to enter service, no. 6611, did so in December 2024. Use of trolleybuses on route 6 began in 2025.

Lines The present system is made up of the following cross-city routes, including dual-mode line 1:

1 Granges-Paccot, Portes-de-Fribourg – Poya (diesel power) Poya – Pérolles Charmettes (electric power) Pérolles Charmettes – Marly, Gérine (diesel power) 7.5-minute intervals2 Schönberg Dunant – Villars-sur-Glâne, Les Dailles At 7.5-minute intervals3 Givisiez, Mont-Carmel – Pérolles Charmettes At 15-minute intervals6Musy – Windig – Place de la Gare – Bertigny – Hopital Cantonal – Guintzet (operated partially on battery power)At 15-minute intervals

Fleet

Retired fleet

In the past, at one time or another the trolleybus fleet has included two-axle vehicles made by several different manufacturers, including Vétra-Renault, Vétra-Berliet, Saurer, Henschel and Volvo.Murray, A.G. (March–April 1986). "Trolley Bookshelf" (long, detailed book review of Fribourg en Tram, by S. Jacobi ). Trolleybus Magazine No. 146, pp. 46–47. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . All of these were purchased new except for the four Henschels (nos. 43–46), which came secondhand from the Giessen, Germany, trolleybus system (in whose fleet they had been nos. 19–22). The first articulated vehicles were purchased in 1988–89. Numbered 101–112, they were Hess-bodied Volvos with ABB electrical equipment, and they were also dual-mode. They used their diesel engines to operate unwired extensions – sections not equipped with overhead wires – of trolleybus route 2, beyond Moncor to Les Biches and Les Dailles. In 2005, the route section to Les Dailles was fitted with trolleybus wiring, allowing trolleybuses to serve route 2 entirely in electric mode, except for certain weekday trips to Les Biches, which section remained unwired.Trolleybus Magazine No. 263 (September–October 2005), p. 121.

Current fleet A total of 27 vehicles is available to operate trolleybus services in Fribourg, all of them low-floor, articulated buses:

Fleet nos Quantity Manufacturer Electrics Type Configuration Built 12 Hess Vossloh-Kiepe BGT-N2C Trolleybus with auxiliary motor 2010 9 Hess Kiepe LighTram 19DC Trolleybus with in-motion charging 2020Trolleybus Magazine No. 355 (January–February 2021), p. 35. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . 6 Hess Kiepe LighTram 19DC Trolleybus with in-motion charging 2024–2025Trolleybus Magazine No. 381 (May–June 2025), p. 127. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .Trolleybus Magazine No. 387 (May–June 2026), p. 121. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .

Trolleybuses in Fribourg

Bron en licentie