After decades of planning and countless delays, the Filobus Pescara trolleybus system is now expected to be ready for actual operation. The project involves battery trolleybuses equipped with modern in-motion charging technology, which recharge their batteries repeatedly while travelling under overhead lines and can thus cover sections without overhead lines in battery mode. The first construction phase connects the Stazione Centrale in Pescara with Montesilvano over a distance of 8 km and mainly uses the route of a former railway line.
Endless planning and construction phase
Shortly after construction began in 2009, there were massive delays in the execution. Residents protested against the impact on the cityscape and the ‘Strada Parco’, which had previously been used as a footpath and cycle path. At the same time, costs rose steadily: expenditure grew from the originally planned amounts to over 30 million euros. In addition, there were political changes that led to repeated construction stops and reorientations.
After the line was finally largely completed, it still took until 2017 before the overhead system could be completed. But even after that, no service began on the line; in fact, suitable vehicles had not even been ordered yet. For the technical acceptance of the system, a two-axle trolleybus borrowed from nearby Chieti was tested without passengers.
Political discussions ensued, and the entire project came to a serious standstill once again in 2022: objections from a citizens’ committee called ‘Strada Parco Bene Comune’ raised safety concerns. However, in August 2023, the Consiglio di Stato overturned the ruling and allowed the project to continue, citing public interest and environmental benefits.
The fleet
In the meantime, following a tender, six Van Hool ‘ExquiCity 18’ battery trolleybuses with electrical equipment from Kiepe Electric had been ordered – they were delivered in stages from the end of 2022. Thanks to the manufacturer’s patented In-Motion-Charging (IMC®) technology, they can travel up to 24 km away from the overhead line. The vehicles are 18.6 m long and can accommodate up to 135 passengers. However, their commissioning also took a very long time, but since June 2025, the vehicles have now been officially registered by the TUA Pescara transport company and approved for traffic.
Originally, six Phileas articulated trolleybuses from the Dutch company Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS), in which VDL held a 70% stake, were to be used. However, the only vehicle delivered to Pescara in 2011 never received approval from the Italian authorities and was eventually sold to Chisinau in Moldova in 2022.
Latest developments
On 28 April 2025, the first regular service with purely battery-powered buses began on the route. On 5 July, a (hopefully) decisive hurdle to the completion of the project was cleared: the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza delle Infrastrutture Ferroviarie e Stradali (Ansfisa) issued the technical safety certificate for the route between Pescara and Montesilvano. This meant that two days later, the so-called pre-exercise phase could begin, during which buses without passengers run regularly for testing purposes. Full operation with passengers is scheduled to begin in early August 2025, subject to pending approval by the Abruzzo region.
Outlook
In the long term, the project is to be extended to two further lots: an extension towards Francavilla al Mare and San Giovanni Teatino, as well as a connection to the airport, are planned, provided that further funding can be obtained from the Ministry of Transport and the EU. However, the use of vehicles will then have to be reconsidered: the Van Hool ExquiCity buses are no longer available following the manufacturer’s bankruptcy.
We presented in detail the comparable BRT project METROMARE Rimini-Riccione here:
24.07.2025
