Trolleybuses in Sanremo

The Sanremo trolleybus system or San Remo trolleybus system (Italian: Rete filoviaria di Sanremo), also known as the Italian Riviera trolleybus (Italian: Filovia della Riviera dei Fiori), is focused on the town and comune of Sanremo, in the region of Liguria, northwestern Italy.

Sanremo trolleybus system
Preserved historical trolleybus 29 and an active trolleybus in the city centre in 1991
Operation
LocaleSanremo, Liguria, Italy
Open21 April 1942 (1942-04-21)[1]
Routes3 (of which 1 is currently suspended)[2]
Operator(s)1942–83: La Società Trasporti Elettrici Liguri
1983 to present: Riviera Trasporti
Infrastructure
Electrification600 V DC parallel overhead lines[1]
Statistics
Route length28.5 km (17.7 mi)[1][3]
WebsiteRiviera Trasporti (in Italian)

Opened in 1942 and extended in two stages by 1951, the system consists of three routes operating along different portions of a single 28.5 km (18 mi)[1][3] long corridor, linking the coastal towns of Ventimiglia and Taggia.

History

The trolleybus system on the Italian Riviera was built to replace two interurban tramways, the Taggia–Ospedaletti tramway and the Bordighera–Ventimiglia tramway. The new trolleybuses, unlike the trams, were also able to cope with the steep climbs between Ospedaletti and Bordighera.

The youngest trolleybuses in the fleet are two Solaris Trollino low-floor vehicles built in 2008.

The first trolleybus route, from Sanremo to Ospedaletti (9.15 km),[3] was inaugurated on 21 April 1942, followed on 1 February 1948 by the second line (Sanremo–Taggia), and in 1951 by the Ospedaletti–Ventimiglia extension.[1] The Sanremo–Taggia and Sanremo–Ventimiglia routes were designated as lines T and V, respectively. A third route, serving the urban area of Sanremo only and using the overhead wires already in place for lines T and V, began operation in 1958, designated line U.[1] Route V is about 18 km long, route T 10 km (originally) and route U 5.75 km.[1]

On 20 December 2001, a 700-metre (2,300 ft) branch was opened on line T to serve the then-new Taggia-Arma railway station.[4] However, it was used for only a few months. In March 2002, line T service was converted indefinitely to motorbuses, due to roadworks,[5] and a succession of other road projects have continued to delay the reinstatement of trolleybus service. At present, trolleybuses have not operated on line T since 2002.[2]

The trolleybus system was owned and operated by La Società Trasporti Elettrici Liguri (STEL) until 1983, when Riviera Trasporti SpA took over.

Routes
A scenic view along the Taggia route in 1988. This route last operated with trolleybuses in 2002.

Two services are operated along the single corridor comprising the Sanremo trolleybus system. They are:

  • U Sanremo urban service (La Brezza ↔ Villa Helios)
  • V Sanremo (bus station) ↔ Ventimiglia (Piazza Costituente)

Former route

Also situated in the same coastal corridor, but no longer trolleybus-operated:


See also

References
  1. Gregoris, Paolo; Rizzoli, Francesco; Serra, Claudio (2003). Giro d'Italia in filobus [Tour of Italy by Trolleybus] (in Italian). Cortona: Calosci Editore. pp. 36, 59–63. ISBN 88-7785-193-7.
  2. Trolleybus Magazine No. 299 (Sep.-Oct. 2011), p. 115. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
  3. Gregoris, Paolo; Serra, Claudio (1998). Scintille tra i fiori: Storia illustrata del trasporto pubblico in provincia di Imperia [Sparks Among the Flowers: An Illustrated History of Public Transport in the Province of Imperia] (in Italian). Cortona: Calosci Editore. pp. 96, 141. ISBN 88-7785-146-5.
  4. Trolleybus Magazine No. 242 (March–April 2002), p. 43. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
  5. Trolleybus Magazine No. 244 (July–Aug. 2002), p. 91.

This article is based partially upon a translation of the Italian language version as at March 2011.

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