Getting rid of trolleybuses was a mistake, Prague is preparing for their return, says Andělek from the transport company — ČT24 — Czech Television
The first trolleybuses appeared on the streets of Prague in 1936, and after the war came their greatest boom. In the 1950s, a total of thirteen lines were in operation, but already at the beginning of the 1960s there was a slowdown, and in the 1970s trolleybuses disappeared from the metropolis completely.
According to Andělek, this happened for three reasons. The first was a centrally planned economy, due to which a large number of components important for the construction of the trolleybus network were missing. But cheap Russian oil and the chosen concept of public transport, in which priority was given to the newly emerging metro, also played a role.
Emission-free transport
“From today’s point of view, we can say with certainty that it was a big mistake,” Andělek said. “Cities where trolleybus transport is still in operation today have a great advantage. They have a good entry base for the expansion of emission-free transport at relatively low entry costs,” he added, adding that they can use the existing network both for the expansion of trolleybus lines and for electric buses.
According to him, emission-free transport in the city makes sense even if the electricity is produced by burning coal in a thermal power plant. “We strive for emission-free production where people live,” and adds that power plants have much more advanced technology – electricity can be produced much better than in the city. He also reminded that coal will gradually decrease, and the electricity produced should therefore be increasingly clean.
The operation of the first line will start already in October
Transport companies are currently preparing ten trolleybus lines, Andělek said. This month, the trial operation of line 140 from Letňany to Čakovice will begin, which will be extended to Palmovka next month. The cars will be powered by trolleys for about half of the track, the rest will run on batteries.
Line 119 from Nádraží Veleslavín to the airport is the next in line to be put into operation. Cars powered by electricity should also run on lines 131, 134, 137, 176 and 191.