Trolleybus routes No. 31 and No. 32 in Lviv are temporarily being served by vehicles with autonomous running, which makes it possible to maintain electric transport services during road repairs and power cuts to the overhead contact line. This was reported by the Transport Department of the Lviv City Council.
This concerns routes No. 31 (Shota Rustaveli St – Pulmonary Health Centre) and No. 32 (University – Subotivska St). Due to roadworks, the overhead contact line on certain sections of Syayvo and Zelena streets has been temporarily de-energised, so on these stretches the trolleybuses are running on battery power.
On route No. 32, on 26 and 27 May, 4 trolleybuses with autonomous running are scheduled to operate. Additionally, during peak hours, until 10:00 and after 16:00, the line on Syayvo St will be energised, so at these times a further 2 conventional trolleybuses will run on the route. The road surface repairs on Syayvo St are being carried out on the instructions of the Railway District Administration.
On route No. 31, 4 trolleybuses with autonomous running are also in service. The changes are linked to repairs to the road surface on the section of Zelena St from the city boundary to the ring road (the “Mukachevo – Ivano-Frankivsk – Rohatyn – Lviv” highway), which are being carried out on the instructions of the Service for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure in Lviv Region. These works are expected to continue until the end of May.
The Lviv City Council Transport Department notes that trolleybuses with autonomous running make it possible to respond more flexibly to roadworks or emergency situations and to avoid closing routes where this is logistically justified. Even when the overhead contact line is de-energised on certain sections, autonomous running makes it possible to maintain regular services and stable passenger transport.
A similar solution using battery-powered trolleybuses was previously applied on route No. 22 during repairs to the road surface on Stryyska St. At present, LCP “Lvivelektrotrans” has a total of 11 trolleybuses with autonomous running, which can travel at least 25 kilometres without connection to the overhead contact line.