European Railroad Discussion > slightly ot - electric trolley buses demise

The electric trolley bus system in Athens, Greece, has been/is being abandoned, replaced by battery powered buses. It's ironic that the success of the electric bus leads to the demise of a favorite form of electric bus.

May I ask what has this got to do with rail transport? It's simply an electric bus, a bus not a train or tram, so why would anyone subscribing to a railfan website, with their railfan cap on, be in the slightest bit interested?

Trolleybuses were the nemesis for a number of tram networks in Britain, London included.

Very interesting news; thanks for posting.  
Of course, fans of municipal street railways are aware that in many cities, the electric streetcar systems were converted into electric bus systems - a.k.a. "trackless trolleys", several of which survive today.
So it's a bit sad, though not surprising, to learn that another trackless trolley system is being replaced.
And it's very interesting to learn that instead of being replaced by diesel buses, or even CNG buses, Athens is converting to battery buses.

I hope that they keep the "current infrastructure" (so to speak!) intact, in case the battery buses don't work out.  Lots of systems have tested out battery buses to replace diesel buses, but so far, I don't believe that the battery buses have been particularly successful. 

rick

This is sad news. Since they already have the existing overhead they should have replaced the existing trolleybuses with battery trolleybuses with extensive off-wire capability, much like what Dayton and San Francisco have now. Guess Greece is another system I will have missed.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> May I ask what has this got to do with rail
> transport? It's simply an electric bus, a bus not
> a train or tram, so why would anyone subscribing
> to a railfan website, with their railfan cap on,
> be in the slightest bit interested?
>
> Trolleybuses were the nemesis for a number of tram
> networks in Britain, London included.

I was born in Dayton Ohio, which still operates trolleybuses. Trolleybuses are great! The trolleybus can pull right up to you on the curb then go around vehicles or other obstructions. So much better than a slow moving tram or streetcar confined to rails. I love trolleybuses! 

JIm

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> This is sad news. Since they already have
> I was born in Dayton Ohio, which still operates
> trolleybuses. Trolleybuses are great! The
> trolleybus can pull right up to you on the curb
> then go around vehicles or other obstructions. So
> much better than a slow moving tram or streetcar
> confined to rails. I love trolleybuses! 
>
> JIm

That's all very well, but trains they ain't.