Škoda Group has officially presented Tallinn’s first new battery trolleybus on 8 April 2026, included a first test drive of the new vehicle. The vehicle delivery is part of the project to revive the city’s trolleybus network which has been out of use since November 2024.
The initiative to renew the trolleybus system in Estonia’s capital city was mad public in 2023 reverting a previous decision to close down the system completely. Trolleybuses have been operating in Tallinn since 1965 – the network reached a maximum of 8 lines but was gradually reduced to just four between 2012 and 2017.
Škoda Group will deliver a fleet of 40 new battery trolleybuses to Tallinn this year – 22 eighteen-metre articulated Škoda 33Tr and 18 twelve-metre Škoda 32Tr, all with bodies from Czech manufacturer SOR. The 32Tr and 33Tr models represent a state-of-the-art electric mobility solution combining the advantages of conventional trolleybus systems with the operational flexibility of pure battery-electric buses. ‘In-motion Charging’ (IMC) allows the vehicles to operate up to 25 kilometres independently of overhead lines, the trolleybuses provide cities with greater freedom in route planning and day-to-day operations. Batteries will be recharged ‘in motion’ while operating under the overhead.
The vehicles feature sliding doors and an electric ramp for the boarding of individuals in wheelchairs and with strollers. The articulated trolleybuses Škoda 33Tr will have two driven axles, allowing for better traction in winter conditions and improving the vehicle’s manoeuvrability. Propulsion will be driven by modern and economical electrical equipment based on IGBT elements, complete with diagnostics and remote access to vehicle systems.
The new battery trolleybuses are set to resume service on the four most recently operated routes – 1, 3, 4 and 5 (now designated as routes 81, 83, 84 and 85) – and there are also plans to deploy them on the former route 9 (now route 72), which was discontinued in 2017, with approximately half of the route to be operated in battery mode without overhead lines.
An agreed option for 30 additional vehicles, intended to serve further routes, has not yet been exercised due to a lack of approval from the city council regarding the financing. The contract value, which includes comprehensive service and maintenance and the option to deliver 30 more trolleybuses exceeds EUR 50 million.
