O serie de imagini cu cateva troleibuze GSP Beograd, realizate in perioada 11-13 august 2023:

Belkommunmash, diverse tipuri:

O veste trista la final de an.

Belgrade trolleybuses are going down in history, they will be replaced by electric buses

Councilors of the City Hall of Belgrade today passed the Decision by which the existing trolleybus lines in the city's public transport will be replaced by lines covered by electric buses.

In the explanation of the Decision, it is stated that the trolleybus transport in Belgrade has a rich history (since 1947), but that it is currently facing major problems that are reflected in outdated infrastructure, vehicles and equipment, as well as low efficiency.

It is added that many lines are in poor condition, with outdated poles and wires that have not been renewed for years, which causes frequent technical problems and slows down and complicates the daily functioning of the system, and the rolling stock is old and inefficient. All this leads to frequent interruptions in traffic and dissatisfaction of passengers, it is said in the explanation of the Decision.

The Belgrade City Transport Company has 92 trolleybuses whose average age is over 15 years, and the last purchase was made 13 years ago. The decision added that electric buses are generally cheaper to maintain than trolleybuses, as they have fewer moving parts and do not depend on the power grid.

https://slobodenpecat.mk/en/belgradskite ... vtobusi/

În completarea articolului:

Trolleybus transport in the capital of Serbia is to be abolished and replaced by electric buses of a private company. Completely unexpectedly and without any expert consultations, the city administration made this decision, which thus meets the interests of a private investor. There are currently 6 trolleybus lines operating in the city (or seven, but buses have been running on one for a long time).

The state of public transport in Belgrade has long been deplorable, which the city administration uses as an argument in opaque tenders for the award of transport services to private entities, specifically the companies Strela Up and Strela Obrenovac, which in June this year won the contract to operate 30 bus lines within Belgrade, while at the time the competition was still running, the carrier already had new buses in its garages. The glaring irregularities in the principle of public procurement were also pointed out in the local media, but the contract was signed anyway, with the city's mayor Aleksandar Šapić, who has been facing corruption charges since last year (coincidentally also in a case related to public transport), stating that it was  a "public-private partnership" . The same phrase – and perhaps not surprisingly, with the same actors – is now appearing in connection with the future of trolleybuses.

Trolleybuses have been unwanted in Belgrade for a long time in recent years, and about five years ago, the engagement of a number of European institutions and transport companies helped to reassess the view on their future, appealing in writing to the city administration and the local operator GSP with the aim of convincing them of the advantages of trolleybus transport. In February 2022, the tender was actually announced and it seemed that the survival of the trolleybuses was assured. A total of 60 trolleybuses of 12 m length and 20 of 18m length were requested, with the evaluation criteria being price (60%), vehicle warranty (20%) and traction battery warranty (20%). Interested parties had just one month to submit their bids, and only one – Škoda Electric – managed to do so by the deadline. Nevertheless, Škoda Electric did not fit into the set limit with its offer, when one 12m car priced at 636 065 € and articulated at 719 980 €.

The contract for the operation of the existing six trolleybus lines with the carrier Strela is to be signed for 20 years, with the city to pay 136.35 billion dinars for this period. At the same time, Strela has requested the transfer of the trolleybus depot, stating that it intends to establish its own garage there for the needs of electric buses, which should replace trolleybuses. It has not yet been announced when this intention should take place, nor whether the contract with the company Strela (whether Strela Up or Strela Obrenovac) has already been ratified and valid.

Československý Dopravák

Tema de cercetare a cui ruda de-a primarului este aceasta companie, care e situatia ei financiara...

Next stop: strike

On February 20, a large-scale protest against the elimination of trolleybus traffic took place on the streets of Belgrade. The initiators of the protest were the employees of the Dorćol trolleybus depot; they were joined by students of technical faculties.

The main demands of the protesters:

1. A guarantee of preserving the Dorćol tram and trolleybus depot in municipal ownership. The workers demanded guarantees that the depot would not be transferred to private hands with the subsequent liquidation of electric transport.
2. Review of contracts by which the municipal transport company GSP lost the suburban bus routes No. 1xx, 3xx, 4xx and 7xx. The transfer of these routes to private carriers has already had a negative impact on the operation of the enterprise, on the comfort of passengers and on the activity of private carriers themselves, which do not have enough buses.
3. Stopping the liquidation of trolleybus service: employees fear deterioration of service quality and environmental situation.
4. Purchase of hundreds of new modern trolleybuses: the fleet is really outdated and needs to be updated. This is a necessary measure to improve the quality and reliability of public transport.

After gathering at the garage, the protesters headed to Republic Square. There, GSP employees, transportation experts, and students addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance of preserving trolleybus service and municipal ownership of transportation infrastructure. The protesters carried posters with the slogan "Trolleybuses are not Belgrade's problem, they are its heroes", as well as models of BKM trolleybuses. Slogans in support of preserving the trolleybus service were chanted.

This is not the first event - on February 5, GSP employees already held a protest, submitting their demands to the Skupština. However, according to them, there was no reaction from the city authorities, which prompted them to hold a new, larger-scale action.

The protest received broad support among city residents. People are concerned about the possible deterioration in the quality of transport services when the trolleybus service is eliminated. The protesters are expecting the mayor's comment on the future of trolleybuses at a city council meeting no later than March 20, 2025, and are warning of a possible strike. At the time of publication of this material, no reaction had been received from the authorities. Arseniy Denisov