First system The first system was opened on 28 September 1936 with a 3.5 km-long line. After
World War II, the system expanded rapidly, and trolleybuses appeared in the city center, as well as in the suburban areas and big housing developments. The network reached its maximum length of 56.876 km in March 1959. However, by 1959, the first and oldest trolleybus line had already closed. Most sections which were under construction at that time were not finished, and those in operation were slowly replaced with diesel buses. After 1960, no new trolleybuses were purchased and vehicles started becoming obsolete. Many streets were being reconstructed, there was not enough electricity available to run the network, and diesel fuel was inexpensive, which all contributed to the decision to begin replacing trolleybuses with buses, leading ultimately to the final closure of the Prague trolleybus system on 16 October 1972.
Fleet In 1936, the following Czech-made vehicles started operating on the Prague trolleybus system: •
Škoda 1Tr (1 prototype) •
Tatra T 86 (1 prototype + 5) •
Praga TOT (1 prototype + 11) In 1938 and 1939, two
Škoda 2Tr trolleybuses were delivered. A
Tatra T400 began operating in Prague in 1948. In total, there were 136 new vehicles of that type, as well as eight second-hand vehicles from
Most, purchased and running in Prague. New vehicles were supplied in various series up to 1955, based on the previous experience with the vehicles, as well as to utilize new technology. In 1958, a prototype of the
Tatra T401 model was added to Prague's trolleybus fleet but it only lasted three years in operation. The performance and features of the Tatra T401 were tested during the first two years of operation, after which it was decided that the
Škoda Works, which produced smaller trolleybuses, would take over all trolleybus production in Czechoslovakia, and the
Tatra company stopped producing trolleybuses. Finally, in 1960, the last 35
Škoda 8Tr trolleybuses were purchased for Prague. Tatra T400 and Škoda 8Tr vehicles were running in the city until the end of trolleybus operation in 1972.
Attempts to re-open the system in the 1980s and early 1990s Plans to restore trolleybus network in Prague started appearing in 1979. Soon after the
political revolution of 1989, Prague's public transport company even delegated money and people to look into the reinstatement of the trolleybus network. A prototype of a new trolleybus model, the
Škoda 17Tr, was developed and produced in Prague. After 1992, however, all plans to restore the network were dropped.
Second system After precisely 45 years, on 15 October 2017, a new trolleybus line was opened in Prague. The system was equipped with
overhead wires along less than 1 km of the route's length and required trolleybuses with additional batteries, capable of operating away from the wires, along other parts of the route. The goal of that experimental project was to prove the viability of trolleybuses in Prague, as well as demonstrating how to minimize the cost of building the infrastructure. Overhead wires have been installed along Prosecká Street, which features a steep
gradient. That will prevent a fast battery drain for vehicles running uphill as well as charging their batteries for the rest of their journey outside of the wired portion of the route. In winter, the overhead power supply also allowed for a tank of water to be heated for interior heating. Prior to constructing a new trolleybus network, Prague's public transport company had been trying out battery-powered buses on various routes. Starting in 2014, the tests revealed that battery-powered vehicles tended to be very problematic on steep hills typical of Prague's landscape. The idea of a trolleybus network came as a direct response to the major problems with the battery-powered vehicles, aiming to combine the best attributes of both worlds. The testing period was to take about a year, and once finished it was hoped that the network would be extended and new
articulated trolleybuses with additional batteries purchased. The first vehicle to operate on the line was a Czech-made
SOR TNB 12 AcuMario, but it was a prototype, as it was the first vehicle to be equipped with additional batteries.
Opening ceremony To commemorate 45 years since the last trolleybus operated in Prague, as well as the opening of the new line, apublic event was held on 15 October 2017, in which the new SOR TNB 12 trolleybus was used. It was accompanied by a new
SOR ENS 12 electric bus and an historic Tatra T400 vehicle from the Prague's public transport museum collection. Spectators could see all three vehicles in operation, as well as take a free ride.
Regular operation On 1 July 2018, Prague's Public Transport Company was to begin regular operation on a newly built line. The line will continue to have the number 58 and will follow the same route as in the preceding testing stage, that is, in between metro stations
Palmovka and
Letňany. Initially only 1 vehicle
Škoda 30 Tr will be operated on the line running at 60-minute intervals.
One year of operation anniversary On 14 October 2018, a second event since the opening of the new trolleybus system was organised. It took place in order to commemorate both the 46th anniversary of the trolleybus system shutdown in Prague, as well as to celebrate the anniversary of the current system. Unlike the opening ceremony in 2017, rides on an historic vehicle were not continuous but took place only five times. Visitors who wanted to take a ride also needed to purchase tickets when entering the vehicle. Each trip cost 35
CZK per person, but small children were free if accompanied by an adult. The historic vehicle was a smaller
Škoda 8Tr, and only about 40 people were allowed to travel at a time. Every paying passenger was given a stamped paper ticket, and a postcard with a picture of Škoda 8Tr when it was still in regular operation. Each ride started at the bottom of the hill, near the Kundratka stop, right at the beginning of the wired section, then took approximately a kilometre up the hill. Passengers were required to leave the vehicle at the Kelerka stop at the end of the wired section. The trolleybus was then towed using a tractor all the way to
Letňany roundabout, supposedly the nearest safe place to turn the towed trolleybus, and back to the Kelerka stop to take passengers back to the bottom section of the line at the Kundratka stop. Škoda 8Tr was then towed again to allow for a new ride up. Every round trip took approximately 20 minutes, but only a small portion of it consisted of the actual ride, with about 15 minutes being required for the off-wire manoeuvres. People who didn't take the ride stood around the wired section to have a look and take photos and videos of the running attraction.
Fleet Initial stage testing results On 11 April 2021, Prague's public transport company announced the extension of the existing 1 km-long wired network. The plan war to replace all buses on line 140 connecting stations
Palmovka and Miškovice by 2021. That was later delayed by one year to 2022. The final wired network won't cover the whole line but only a selected sections which is why Prague's public transport company now inquires 15 articulated trolleybuses equipped with batteries. Based on the results from the testing done in between October 2017 and April 2018, it was also requested the new buses to operate the route 140 should be able to charge their batteries faster, thet they should have a better acceleration running off wires on steep hills, and they should also be able to charge statically in depots.
Electrification of the Palmovka - Čakovice section On 17 October 2018, the newspaper
Pražský deník published an article on the current state of the trolleybus network extension plans mentioned in
Initial stage testing results above. It was expected the wired sections would be built in 2020-21 and construction would take approximately 12 months. Approximately half of the bus line 140 was projected to be wired (8 km). However a
construction permit was only issued at the end of February 2021 so the work on the line (two individual sections) began on 10 January 2022,
Decision on replacing bus routes 131, 137, 176 and 191 with trolleybus routes On 8 June 2020, the
Prague City Council approved electrification of lines 131, 137, 176 and 191. The construction of the necessary infrastructure should begin after lines 140 (Palmovka - Čakovice) and 119 (Nádraží Veleslavín - Airport) are finished, as was announced when line 119 was approved. This project is a logical step to follow after the conversion of line 119 considering line 191 can use part of that infrastructure. On top of that line 176 will also share a section of the catenary with line 191. Then all the additional lines will be built close to each other on the same bank of the
Vltava river which also means a single depot will be able to serve them all and some power substations can power up multiple nearby sections. In addition all 4 lines are passing through steep and/or long inclines which are well suited for a trolleybus operation. It is also interesting all lines except 191 were already operated by trolleybuses in the Prague's first trolleybus system epoch. Price to electrify the 4 new trolleybus lines is estimated to be in between 1 and 1.3 billion
CZK in total. As with the preceding projects, the trolleybuses on these routes will operate partially under wires and partially using batteries: • Line
131 (Bořislavka – Hradčanská), catenary to be installed on 61% of the route (3.8 km). • This line should cost around 200 million CZK. • Line
137 (Na Knížecí – U Waltrovky), catenary to be installed on 95% of the route (3.2 km). However, some buses continue from U Waltrovky up to a quite distant stop Malá Ohrada. • This line should cost around 220 million CZK. • Line
176 (Stadion Strahov – Karlovo náměstí), catenary to be installed on 71% of the route (4 km). This line will share some infrastructure with line 119. • This line should cost around 320 million CZK. • Line
191 (Na Knížecí – Ciolkovského – Letiště Václava Havla Praha), catenary will be installed in three separate sections (also utilizing infrastructure for line 119). The total coverage of wired power supply should be 55% of the route (15.3 km). • This line should cost around 580 million CZK. An additional 130 million CZK will be used to prepare the Řepy depot for trolleybus expansion. Construction should be completed by 2025. == Future outlook ==