Trolleybuses in Mariánské Lázně

The Mariánské Lázně trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network in Mariánské Lázně, in the Czech Republic. The spa town located in the western part of the Czech Republic is one of the smallest towns in the world that still has an operating trolleybus system.[1] It was established as a replacement for older no longer adequate tram system and went into operation on 27 April 1952, when Mariánské Lázně was in Czechoslovakia. The very first vehicles to operate the newly established network were Škoda 7Tr.[2] Since 2006 the public transport in Mariánské Lázně is operated by Městská Doprava Mariánské Lázně s. r. o. company.

Mariánské Lázně trolleybus system

Overview
Owner	60% town, 40% private company BENT HOLDING, a.s.
Locale	Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic
Transit type	Trolleybus system
Number of lines	4
Number of stations	27
Website	http://www.mdml.cz/
Operation
Began operation	27 April 1952
Operator(s)	Městská Doprava Mariánské Lázně s. r. o.
Number of vehicles	8
Technical
System length	12 km

The new trolleybus system not only connected railway station with the city centre, which the previous tram system did, but also extended the operation to other town areas. Over the years the reach of the network extended practically to all directions connecting all major parts of the town.[3] In its top peak the system consisted of the following terminus stations: "Antoníčkův pramen", "Panská pole", "Goethovo náměstí", "City Service", "Velká Hleďsebe" and "Lesní pramen". However, the service to Lesní pramen was suspended from 1979 to 1986 and then finally ended in 1996.[2] The remaining trolleybus wires in this section were removed in 2012.

Trolleybus network map with the old decommissioned line to Lesní pramen (dotted). This map only covers wired network, not hybrid trolleybus lines.

Trolleybus lines in operation

There are currently 4 trolleybus lines in operation in Mariánské Lázně. Lines 6 and 7 require hybrid (currently diesel/electric) trolleybuses to service small parts of the network not-equipped with overhead wires.[4]

Line number	Terminus A	Terminus B	Note
3	Antoníčkův pramen	Kolonáda	Workdays only
5	Panská Pole	Kolonáda
6	City service	Klimentov	Workdays only
7	Antoníčkův pramen	Kolonáda

Attempts to close the system

Late 90s and early 2000s

Since the second half of 1990s the town's council tried to get rid of the trolleybus network claiming high maintenance costs. The fact the network was under-maintained and the vehicles were old did not make the situation any better. However, thanks to strong citizen reactions against the removal of such network it was finally decided to purchase new trolleybuses. In between the years 2004 and 2006 seven new Škoda 24tr vehicles were purchased, partially using EU funds. Only 2 older Škoda 14Tr vehicles remained as a backup.[2]

2013 – 2015

Another attempt to close the system started with the council's decision made in September 2013. It was decided to slowly replace trolleybuses with buses and eventually battery powered buses. Other quicker variant of stopping the service sooner was not possible as there was an EU restriction in place on a new bus terminal near the main train station which is also used by trolleybuses. Since EU fond helped financing the terminal they expected it to stay intact and work the way it was designed to at least till 2017.

Since a new town council was elected and the new representatives decided to open talks with public and with specialists,[5] which claimed trolleybuses with batteries are more feasible than plain battery powered buses, it was decided the trolleybus network will stay.[6][7] The following pros were stated in favour of the existing trolleybus network:

• Although maintenance cost are slightly higher than in case of battery buses, the infrastructure is already there and there is no need to build new charging stations
• There is currently very little experience with plain battery powered buses
• Battery buses would need more batteries to be able to cover the same area current trolleybus and bus network cover and therefore (as the batteries are heavy) would consume more power than trolleybuses equipped with less batteries only enough to extend the wired network
• Trolleybus network is more reliable as the power input is ensured over the static wires, while with batteries only there is a higher chance something may go wrong [8] – e.g. in Berlin the electro-bus reliability is about 40%[7] and that is not feasible for a small town like Mariánské Lázně where such vehicles would take over the whole transportation system and where even a small issue would be felt
• Trolleybuses with batteries can charge while in operation so there is less or even no need for the vehicles to keep still and wait until they charge
• Trolleybus network may attract some tourists, especially an unusual network such as the one in Mariánské Lázně

Worn-out wired network in Mariánzké Lázně near the Trolleybus depot

The wired network state

Generally the network state seen in Mariánské Lázně is the worst in the Czech Republic. At first sight it is obvious the network was under-maintained. Unlike other Czech trolleybus systems some components of the network are very old including switches, some of which are still the ancient high angle Power-on/Power-off types. Newer radio-controlled switches only started appearing in 2013[9] and are second-hand merchandise from Plzeň.[10] Those aspects of the system make restrictions on how fast the trolleybuses can run as in some areas the state of the network is pretty bad. Another major issue is the old and outgoing substation which is in the need of a quick replacement.

Škoda 24Tr Citelis in Mariánské Lázně

Fleet

Since 2006 there are 7 Škoda 24Tr vehicles in operation. One of the vehicles is a prototype and started its service in 2004 after which all the other newer trolleybuses started appearing in the town. Another was initially designed for Zlín, but as it caught fire while transported to Zlín the public transport company there decided to reject this vehicle. However it was repaired by Škoda Transportation and is now in operation in Mariánské Lázně with an unusual colour combination. Three of 7 Škoda 24Tr units are equipped with a diesel generator to extend the trolleybus network reach.

The 7 modern low-floor vehicles are backed up by one Škoda 14Tr. The original ones which operated in Mariánské Lázně prior to Škoda 24Tr were all removed from the service but a backup vehicle was needed so second-hand vehicle Škoda 14TrM (a modernised version of Škoda 14Tr) was purchased from the public transport company in Plzeň.

Vehicle type	Count	Note
Škoda 24Tr[11]	7	one of the vehicles is a prototype (2004), another was previously designed for Zlín
Škoda 14Tr[11]	1	previously in service in Plzeň

References

1. "Mariánské Lázne: The Czech Republic's smallest trolleybus system". British Trolleybus Society. 2002. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
2. Lázně, Město Mariánské. "Městská doprava – Oficiální stránky města Mariánské Lázně". www.muml.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 February 2017.
3. Design, ADENT Web. "Městská doprava Mariánské lázně s.r.o." www.mdml.cz. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
4. Design, ADENT Web. "Městská doprava Mariánské lázně s.r.o." www.mdml.cz. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
5. "Trolejbusy v Mariánských Lázních pravděpodobně zůstanou. Radnice chystá diskusi s veřejností" (in Czech). Retrieved 9 February 2017.
6. MS Ostrov (24 March 2016), Marianské Trolejbusy zustanou, retrieved 9 February 2017
7. "Unikátní trolejbusy budou brázdit silnice dál". Deník.cz (in Czech). 29 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
8. "Trolleys are part of the solution". Sustainable Wellington Transport. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
9. "Diskuse K-report (Archiv 2013): Archiv diskuse Trolejbusy v Mariánských Lázních do 24. 06. 2013". www.k-report.net. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
10. "Diskuse K-report (Archiv 2013): Archiv diskuse Trolejbusy v Mariánských Lázních do 01. 10. 2013". www.k-report.net. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
11. "MĚSTSKÁ DOPRAVA Mariánské Lázně – trolejbusy – přehled provozních vozů | seznam-autobusu.cz". seznam-autobusu.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 February 2017.

External links

• Media related to Trolleybus transport in Mariánské Lázně at Wikimedia Commons