The Lecce

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

system ( it, Rete filoviaria di Lecce) forms part of the

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

network of the city and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of Lecce, in the Apulia

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, southern Italy. Opened in January 2012, the system comprises three routes, of which one is a circular (loop) route with different route numbers for the two directions. The last of the three routes opened in June 2014.

History

The network was made possible thanks to state funding authorised by the law 211 of 26 February 1992 (''Interventions in the field of mass rapid transport systems''). The tender for its construction was won by a consortium made up of , Van Hool NV, Imet Spa and Vossloh Kiepe GmbH. The first of 12

Van Hool Van Hool NV () is a Belgium, Belgian family-owned coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, Coach (bus), coaches, trolleybuses, and Semi-trailer, trailers. Most of the buses and coaches are built entirely by Van Hool, with engines and axle ...

trolleybuses on order was delivered on 30 March 2007, and the first overhead wiring was installed during the same month.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 274 (July–August 2007), p. 89. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . The operator, SGM Lecce, ceremonially 'opened' the network in the presence of the then-mayor, Adriana Poli Bortone, and ran an inaugural tour. However, a series of bureaucratic problems delayed the actual completion of the system and its opening for service. Delivery of additional trolleybuses began around the end of October 2007.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 277 (January–February 2008), p. 16. National Trolleybus Association. On 31 March 2010, SGM appointed a director of trolleybus operations, a move that facilitated commencement of procedures for driver training. Still, by October 2010 only a few test runs had taken place.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 295 (January–February 2011), p. 19. National Trolleybus Association. The system was finally opened on 12 January 2012, but only one route (29) initially.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 302 (March–April 2012), pp. 43–44. National Trolleybus Association. At the time of the system's opening, four of the twelve vehicles on orderall of which had been completed by the end of 2007''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 280 (July–August 2008), p. 88. National Trolleybus Association.were still being stored at the Van Hool factory in Belgium. On 2 February 2013, the second line was opened, a loop route numbered 31 in the clockwise direction and 30 in the counterclockwise direction, with a headway of 40 minutes.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 309 (May–June 2013), p. 78. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . The third route, 27, opened on 15 June 2014, connecting the city centre with Ecotekne.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 317 (September–October 2014), p. 131. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . A large loop at the route's outer end is not equipped with overhead wiring, and the trolleybuses cover it using their diesel engines.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 319 (January–February 2015), pp. 20, 22. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . Trolleybuses do not operate on any route on Sundays. In June 2022, the routes were renumbered, with route 27 becoming S13, route 29 becoming M1, and circular 30/31 (counterclockwise/clockwise) becoming C3 and C2, respectively.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 365 (September–October 2022), p. 209. National Trolleybus Association.

Lines

The Lecce trolleybus lines are as follows: * M1 (formerly 29): City Terminal (on Via Porta d'Europa) – city centre – Lecce railway station * C2/C3 (formerly 31/30), named ''Circolare destra'' and ''Circolare sinistra'' (clockwise circular and counterclockwise circular), with layover point at Porta Napoli * S13 (ex-27): City Terminal – Ecotekne-Fiorini

Fleet

The Lecce trolleybus fleet comprises 12

A330T 12 m dual-mode

rigid bus A rigid bus (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is a vehicle used in public transportation services with a single, rigid chassis. A bus of this type is to be contrasted with an articulated or bi-articulated bus, which will have two or more rigid ...

es, built in 2006–2007, each fitted with both electric traction motors and a

euro 4 The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a seri ...

diesel engine.

References

Notes

External links