Photos: Trolleybus services return to Tallinn

Trolleybuses have reappeared on the streets of Tallinn after a break of over a year and a half, with service restored on Wednesday.

The capital restored trolleybus service on Wednesday using new Škoda hybrid models which can travel without being connected to a cable.

The new trolleybuses will ply two routes between the Mustamäe neighborhood in the west of the city and the Balti Jaam train station. Three more routes are due to reopen in August. This forms part of a further trolleybus expansion planned by the City of Tallinn, which would see the restoration of routes towards Haabersti, on the western fringes of the city, and in the opposite direction, a new route along Laagna tee, a major thoroughfare, towards the eastern district of Lasnamäe. A total of 60 additional trolleybuses are planned for purchase 2028–2030 to meet these needs. The capital had taken trolleybuses offline in the fall of 2024, as the aging vehicles used at the time had deteriorated to the point where they were unlikely to survive another winter in operation, it was found.

Another major change is that there is no need for overhead trolleybus cables, at least in central Tallinn, as the new models can run on battery power too.

From the end of summer, a total of 40 new Škoda electric trolleybuses will be operating on the five routes, including 18, 12-meter and 22 18-meter articulated models. These have an off-cable range of up to 25 kilometers, and passenger capacity for either 69 or 120 passengers, depending on the model. They can also be accessed by wheelchair.

Prior to the 2024 suspension of services, the two newly rolled out routes were designated 4 and 5, but will now retain the numbers of the replacement bus routes that operated during that interruption, i.e. routes 84 and 85.

Then in August, trolleybus services will also resume on routes 81 (Mustamäe–Kaubamaja), 83 (Mustamäe–Kaubamaja) and 72 (Mustamäe–Kopli).

The city government in April instructed Tallinn City Transport (TLT) to start work designing trolleybus infrastructure along Paldiski mnt and Laagna tee to facilitate the network's expansion.

Up-to-date public transport information in the capital is available here.

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!