Trolleybuses in Parma

Parma trolleybus system

Trolleybus 039 at Piazzale Barbieri
Operation
Locale	Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Open	1953 (1953)
Routes	4
Operator(s)	TEP (Parma)
Statistics
Route length
Overview
Website	TEP (Italian)

The Parma trolleybus system (Italian: Rete filoviaria di Parmacode: it is deprecated ) forms part of the public transport network of the city and comune of Parma, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. In operation since 1953, the system presently comprises four urban routes.

History

When the Parma trolleybus system commenced operations on 25 October 1953, it consisted of three routes:

• 1 Stazione FS ↔ it;
• 2 San Leonardo ↔ Via Montebello;
• 3 San Lazzaro ↔ Crocetta.

One month later, on 25 November 1953, the trolleybus system's predecessor, the Parma tramway network, was closed.

In 1968, trolleybus route 1 was extended to the cemetery at Orzi di Baganza. In 1972, route 2 was extended, but was also simultaneously transformed into a diesel bus route. This has been the only closure of a trolleybus route in Parma.

In recent decades, the trolleybus system has been expanded: in 1987, route 1 was extended from Orzi di Baganza to strada Farnese; in 1989 bus route 4 was converted into a trolleybus route, and in 1998, bus route 5 was similarly converted.

Services

The routes comprising the present Parma trolleybus system are:

• 1 Stazione FS ↔ strada Farnese;
• 3 San Lazzaro ↔ Crocetta;
• 4 Via Parigi ↔ Via Mordacci;
• 5 Via Orazio ↔ Via Chiavari.

Trolleybus fleet

1986 Menarini trolleybus 38 on route 1

Autodromo-built trolleybus 045 on route 5

Retired trolleybuses

The following trolleybuses previously used in Parma have since been withdrawn from service:

• 16 it delivered 1953, nos. 001-016;
• 2 Fiat 2411 Cansa delivered 1959/1960, nos. 017-018;
• 2 Fiat 2411 Cansa delivered 1964, nos. 019-020.

Current fleet

Parma's current trolleybus fleet is as follows:

• 10 it delivered 1981, nos. 021-030;
• 10 Menarini Monocar 201/2 delivered 1986, nos. 031-040;
• 14 it low-floor, delivered 1997 and 2000, nos. 041-054.
• On order: 9 Van Hool ExquiCity articulated trolleybuses, of which the first one was delivered in April 2012.

Heritage fleet

Parma trolleybuses nos. 014 and 017 are preserved as heritage vehicles, at the TEP "I° maggio" depot.

See also

• Parma railway station
• List of trolleybus systems in Italy

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Brief history of the introduction of the trolleybus service, at tep.pr.it (Italian)
• Images of the Parma trolleybus system, at railfaneurope.net
• Discussion of the Parma trolleybus system, on the Mondo Tram Forum (Italian)
• Page on the history and status of the Parma trolleybus system. (Italian)

This article is based upon a translation of the Italian language version as at March 2011.