Škoda Group has signed two important supply contract for battery-trolleybuses in the Czech Republic – up to 46 units will go to Ústí and Labem and Ostrava.
Ostrava
With Dopravní podnik Ostrava (DPO), the public transport operator in Ostrava, Škoda Group signed a framework agreement for the delivery of up to 16 new Škoda 26Tr battery trolleybuses. Of these, 14 vehicles are ordered in the basic contractual performance, and two vehicles are part of an option. The first trolleybuses will be delivered in 2027, and the total value of the contract is more than CZK 268 million (= approx.. EUR 11 million).
The new trolleybuses with modern carbody will be two-axle, fully low-floor and air-conditioned. They will be equipped with a modern information and ticketing system. For the safety of passengers and drivers, the vehicles will be equipped with a camera system.
Basic technical parameters and equipment of the Škoda 26Tr (Ostrava)
- Length: 12 metres
- Floor: fully low-floor for barrier-free access, two spaces for transporting prams or wheelchairs
- Drive: electric trolleybus with traction batteries (min. 15 kilometres range without catenary)
- Comfort and safety: full air conditioning, modern information and ticketing system, security cameras
The body of the model 26Tr model will be manufactured and sub-supplied by Solaris.
The Ostrava trolleybus network has 12 lines: nine daytime lines (101–109) and three night lines (111–113). 75 trolleybuses are in service, 58 of which are Škoda vehicles (23× 26Tr, 17× 27Tr, 18× 36Tr).
Ústí nad Labem
With the Ústí nad Labem Public Transport Company, Škoda Group signed a framework agreement for the delivery of up to 30 Škoda 33Tr articulated trolleybuses. The contract is worth CZK 650 million (= approx. EUR 26.7 million).
The 18-metre Škoda 33Tr articulated trolleybuses will be equipped with traction batteries with a range of at least 12 kilometres outside the catenary network, which will enable the transport company to serve locations without trolleybus infrastructure. For reliable operation in the hilly terrain of Ústí nad Labem, the vehicles are equipped with two driven axles. Passengers can look forward to a fully air-conditioned interior, modern information and ticketing systems, CCTV surveillance and double insulation glazing, which contributes to better temperature comfort for passengers and reduces the energy consumption of the vehicle. The equipment also includes a CCS socket for cable charging.
From a technical point of view, an interesting feature is the use of the so-called eye-mirror system, which replaces conventional rear-view mirrors with cameras, thereby increasing traffic safety and expanding the driver’s field of vision. The same technology is also used in trolleybuses supplied by Škoda Group to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Technical parameters of the Škoda 33Tr trolleybus (Ústí nad Labem):
- Vehicle length: 18 m
- Vehicle width: 2.55 m
- Vehicle height: approx. 3.4 m
- Drive: two traction electric motors on both drive axles
- Maximum drive power: 2×160 kW (total 320 kW)
- Power supply voltage from overhead lines: 600 V DC
- Traction battery capacity: min. 57 kWh (enables a range of 12 km without overhead lines)
- Entry height: 320 mm above the road surface (low-floor design)
- Doors: four double-leaf low-floor doors for quick boarding and alighting
- Air conditioning: separate for passenger and driver areas
- Double insulated glazing: contributes to better temperature comfort for passengers
- Information and ticketing system: modern LED/LCD panels, acoustic announcements and ticketing terminals
- Safety features: camera system inside and outside, eye-mirror system replacing rear-view mirrors, anti-collision system, passenger counting system
The body of the vehicles will be manufactured and sub-supplied by Cezech manufacturer SOR.
Ústí nad Labem has one of the youngest trolleybus operations in the Czech Republic. It was launched in 1988 and has become the backbone of public transport over more than three decades. Today’s network of 10 trolleybus lines covers most of the city and provides service even in hilly areas where other types of transport are more difficult to operate, and the network is continuing to expand. At the end of 2024, the Ústí nad Labem Transport Company had a fleet of 75 trolleybuses, all supplied by Škoda Group. In 2024, two of the three stages of the trolleybus network modernisation were launched, with completion continuing this year. Battery trolleybuses allow the extension of electric operation without larger investments in new overhead.
Other cities
Other recent orders and contracts for Skoda Group trolleybuses in its home country include a framework agreement for the supply of up to 20 32Tr trolleybuses for Jihlava, 14 of which will be battery-powered. In Chomutov and Jirkov, it will supply up to 8 articulated 33Tr battery trolleybuses. It has also recently concluded contracts for the delivery of up to 31 32Tr and 33Tr battery trolleybuses for Hradec Králové and a framework agreement for the city of Zlín for up to 60 trolleybuses.
31.10.2025
