Trolleybuses with autonomous operation were launched on a new route in Chernihiv

illustrative photo: Trolleybus “Etalon T12120-Barvinok” by Mykola Zasyadko

A new trolleybus route in Chernihiv was launched on July 23. Autonomous trolleybuses were used for its operation, said current mayor Oleksandr Lomako. Its main goal was to create a new trolleybus connection between remote but densely populated neighborhoods of Chernihiv, namely: Bobrovytsia, Podusivka and Sherstianka.

According to Oleksandr Ryzhyi, Head of the Transport Department of the Chernihiv City Council, during the 2022 attack on the city and active hostilities, the contact network in Bobrovytsia was severely damaged, so it had to be restored to launch this route. And in the Sherstianka neighborhood, trolleybuses have never run at all because there was no overhead line. However, there has always been a demand for public transport and transport connections to the central part of the city, as this large and remote neighborhood is “cut off” from the city by railways.

The city authorities decided to purchase electric buses with dynamic recharging. These are 4 Etalon T12220 trolleybuses manufactured by the Chernihiv Automobile Plant.

There is a large section of the route without electrification, so their range is used there.

illustrative photo: Bus Etalon A08128; author Demian Danyliuk

Every day, two to three units run on the route, one is in reserve. The planned number of buses on the route is 5. Therefore, to ensure optimal intervals between vehicles, municipal buses are currently being used. They operate at the same tariffs as trolleybuses.