HESS has just received several orders for the delivery of lighTram® battery trolleybuses. Four 12-metre battery trolleybuses (lighTram® 12 DC) and 14 articulated battery trolleybuses (lighTram® 19 DC) will go to Biel/Bienne. Up to 50 additional buses, including double-articulated buses, can be ordered as a further option in order to gradually electrify Biel’s fleet completely. Thanks to dynamic charging, the buses charge while travelling under existing overhead, which means that only a few network expansions are required. Commissioning is planned for the end of 2027.
37 lighTram® 19 DC and 14 of the lighTram® 25 DC type will be delivered to Transports publics de la région lausannoise (tl) – these 51 new vehicles will be delivered from 2026. This will further renew the current fleet of more than 100 HESS trolleybuses and battery-trolleybuses in Lausanne. This also includes the 12 lighTram® 25 DC that have been operating successfully on line 9 in Lausanne for around four years already. This line, which runs from Lutry to Prilly, is used by more than 6 million passengers a year and benefits from the higher capacity and efficiency of these innovative vehicles.
But that’s not all: HESS has a well-filled order book for its established lighTram® model. In the Swiss domestic market alone (including Lausanne), there are currently orders for around 140 vehicles, with up to 70 more expected. In addition, the number of agreed options totals 230 vehicles, including from callable framework agreements. The majority of these are articulated and double-articulated vehicles configured as battery trolleybuses, which allow longer journeys away from the overhead line thanks to powerful traction batteries. These include Zurich, Winterthur, Bern, Neuchatel and La Chaux-de-Fonds.
HESS trolleybuses of various years of construction currently operate in 11 of the 12 existing Swiss companies. The lighTram® vehicles are used in various other locations in different configurations as purely battery-electric models.
The current orders and agreed options with Swiss companies at a glance:
Berne:
13 orders for lighTram® 25 DC
see:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/13-hess-double-articulated-trolleybuses-for-bern/
Biel/Bienne:
18 orders (14 lighTram® 19 DC + 4 lighTram® 12 DC), 50 options
Genève:
121 orders (65 lighTram® 19 TOSA + 54 lighTram® 24 TOSA), no options
see:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/hess-248-zero-emission-buses-for-lyon-and-geneva-and-another-241-as-options/
Lausanne:
51 orders (37 lighTram® 19 DC + 14 lighTram® 25 DC), no options
Lugano:
8 orders lighTram® 19 OPP
see:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/hess-wins-electric-bus-tender-in-lugano/
Neuchatel & La Chaux-de-Fonds TN:
12 orders lighTram® 19 DC (18 more already delivered)
see:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/return-of-the-trolleybus-30-hess-lightram-for-la-chaux-de-fonds-and-neuchatel/
Solothurn:
1 order lighTram® 18 PLUG
Winterthur:
10 orders lighTram® 19 DC (3 further lighTram® 19 DC + 11 lighTram® 25 DC already delivered) + 46 options from framework agreement for up to 70 vehicles
see:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/hess-wins-tender-for-up-to-70-battery-trolleybuses/
Zurich:
26 orders (13 lighTram® 19 DC + 13 lighTram® 25 DC) + 140 options (85 + 55)
see:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/major-order-for-hess-lightram-go-to-zurich/.
15 of the agreed options for Zurich are expected to be converted into firm orders shortly. The delivery of 53 new vehicles to Lucerne is also expected, including 7 lighTram® 25 DC.
