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Volt>V Direct current Overhead line#Parallel overhead lines>parallel overhead linesKilbirnie, New Zealand>Kilbirnie| era2_stock = 60 (October 2017)| era2_single_track_length =| era2_double_track_length =| era2_total_track_length =50mi|abbr=on}} (maximum)| era2_pass_year =| era2_passengers =| era2_pass_percent =| era2_pass_system =| era2_mpassengers =200px|Wellington trolleybus routes)| era2_website =weblink GO Wellingtonlogo_alt=image_alt=era1_lines=era1_min_curve_radius=era1_stops=|era1_map_state=}}Trolleybuses in Wellington were part of the Wellington public transport system from 1924 until 1932 and again from 1949 until 2017. It was the last trolleybus system operating commercially in Oceania and the last major system operating in a country where driving is on the left side of the road.

History

First era

File:Wellington trolleybus 1924.jpg|thumb|Wellington's first trolleybus, an AEC 602 in November 1924]]File:Roseneath trolleybus route, New Zealand (2273448334).jpg|thumb|A BUT trolleybus in service on the Roseneath route in 1982]]File:2003-built prototype Designline trolleybus 301 in 2017.jpg|thumb|A DesignLine trolleybus in the city centre in 2017]]File:WellingtonTrolleybuses.jpg|thumb|Volvo B58 trolleybuses at Wellington station in May 2007]]File:Wellington - first DesignLine trolleybus.jpg|thumb|Prototype DesignLine trolleybus 301 in its original Stagecoach livery in June 2005]]On 29 September 1924 the first trolleybus route was inaugurated with a single AEC 602 trolleybus running from Thorndon along Hutt Road to Kaiwharawhara (then known as Kaiwarra).weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/19991117085402weblink">A Brief History The Wellington Trolley Bus PageBlee, Ian (November 1978). "Under Two Wires in New Zealand, Part 3 – Wellington". Trolleybus Magazine No. 103, pp. 137–140. National Trolleybus Association (UK). {{issn|0266-7452}}.{{rp|137}}A trolleybus was chosen over an extension to the Wellington tramway system because a large water main on the route precluded tram track construction. Patronage was not very high, and as bus services in the area were introduced and expanded in the years following, patronage declined further and the service was withdrawn on 30 May 1932."Another Trolleybuses Revived" Bus & Coach Preservation January 2018 pages 38–47

Second era

A second and more extensive network was approved in 1945, when it was decided to gradually replace trams with trolleybuses, preferred for being more manoeuvrable and more modern. Trolleybuses were also preferred over diesel or petrol buses due to better traction on steep slopes.BOOK, Murray, Alan, World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia, 2000, 82, Trolleybooks, Yateley, Hampshire, UK, 0-904235-18-1, The first route opened on 20 June 1949 to Roseneath continuing beyond the Oriental Parade tram terminus. It was extended to Hataitai School in October 1949. The next route opened to Aotea Quay to serve a new Social Security Department building. It ceased ten years later when that office moved, and was notable as the only trolleybus terminus in New Zealand where trolleybuses reversed to turn round.Wellington Trolley buses {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208023115weblink |date=8 December 2014 }} Engineering Heritage New ZealandBOOK, McNicol, Steve, New Zealand Trolleybus Selections, 1989, Railmac Publications, Elizabeth, South Australia, 0-949817-68-6, 3–6, Tram conversion started in 1951 with the opening of the route to Wadestown, followed by Karori (1954), Northland (1956), Seatoun and Miramar (1958), Aro Street and Brooklyn, the latter extended beyond the tram terminus to Mornington (1960), Lyall Bay (1963) and Island Bay (1964). The building of Wellington Airport across the Rongotai isthmus required a deviation from the Coutts Street route that the trams had taken. The short Northland route closed in 1972. As late as 1984, a route was converted from diesel to electric operation, with the network reaching its maximum extent at around 50 kilometres."Wellington – Trolleybus Capital of Australasia" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316012811weblink |date=16 March 2020 }} Trolley Wire issue 241 May 1990 pages 21–23weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20020305135029weblink">Trolleybus Routes of Wellington Trolleybuses of Australasia In 1990 the Wadestown to Roseneath route closed.Operation of the system was privatised in 1992, when the Wellington City Council sold its transport operations to Stagecoach.Trolleybus Magazine No. 187 (January–February 1993), p. 25. National Trolleybus Association (UK). {{issn|0266-7452}}. The council retained ownership of the system's infrastructure with Stagecoach maintaining it under contract.Trolleybus Magazine No. 191 (September–October 1993), pp. 131, 133. National Trolleybus Association.Trolleybus Magazine No. 227 (September–October 1999), p. 117. National Trolleybus Association. In November 2005, the trolleybus network was included in the sale of Stagecoach's New Zealand operations to Infratil.Disposal of New Zealand Operations {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205010516weblink |date=5 December 2014 }} Stagecoach 21 November 2005Stagecoach sells New Zealand unit {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820071635weblink |date=20 August 2017 }} BBC News 21 November 2005The network was threatened with closure over the years, mainly on grounds of cost. In 2014, the Greater Wellington Regional Council recommended closure of the entire system.Radio New Zealand News 15 March 2014 Public consultations on the proposal were followed by a final decision to close the entire system by 2017.WEB,weblink GWRC Press Release: "Costs and benefits of options for Wellington bus fleet", 7 April 2014, www.gw.govt.nz, en, 5 April 2017, 6 April 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170406020623weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink GWRC Press Release: "Hybrid buses recommended as transition towards fully electric bus future for Wellington region", 12 June 2014, www.gw.govt.nz, en, 5 April 2017, 5 April 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170405171249weblink">weblink live, The published reasons included cost of infrastructure maintenance and upgrading, inflexibility of a wire linked network, plus slower speeds and less reliability than diesel buses.WEB,weblink GWRC Report (46 Page PDF): "Technical advice concerning Wellington's trolley bus network and potential alternatives", 10 June 2014, www.gw.govt.nz, en, 5 April 2017, 16 April 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170416225712weblink">weblink live, Dominion Post 1 July 2014, p. A4. The Hataitai loop was replaced by diesel buses in October 2015.Beginning of the end for Wellington's trolley buses as axe falls on Hataitai route {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117132627weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Dominion Post 5 October 2015The closure was questioned after the results of the 2017 New Zealand general election. The Labour Party had gained victory by entering into a coalition with the Green Party and New Zealand First, both of the latter who were on record as saying that they wanted to upgrade and maintain trolleybus services in Wellington. However, new transport minister Phil Twyford stated that the government would not step in to save the network. Twyford claimed that the costs of paying out the demolition contracts would be far too high, which came under heavy criticism from Wellington residents and council members in support of the trolleys.New government inspires 11th-hour trolleybus rescue bid {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117132630weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Dominion Post 30 October 2017 On 31 October 2017 the system closed.End of an era: Wellington's trolleybuses to be replaced by 31 October {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117132121weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Rail Express 12 October 2017"Wellington trolleybuses slip into history" Buses Magazine issue 753 December 2017 page 9 Work to remove the infrastructure began in October 2017 with all works scheduled for completion by late-2018.The first step in dismantling Wellington's trolley bus wires begins next week {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202022215weblink |date=2 February 2018 }} Greater Wellington Regional Council 3 October 2017Bus wires to be removed from Wellington cbd in new year {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709063148weblink |date=9 July 2018 }} Dominion Post 28 December 2017Trolley bus decommissioning {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128194901weblink |date=28 January 2018 }} Wellington City Council{{Update inline|date=December 2022|reason=Was the infrastructure removal completed in time?}}

Operations

Trolleybuses were an integral part of the Wellington bus service. In the system's last years, they were operated by NZ Bus under the GO Wellington brand. They served the southern, western, and eastern parts of Wellington, using overhead wires owned by Wellington Cable Car Limited, a subsidiary of Wellington City CouncilAbout Us {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190509weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Wellington Cable Car and powered at 550 volts DC.WEB,weblink Independent Technical Analysis of the Wellington Trolleybus Electrical Infrastructure, 9 February 2019, 17 January 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190117114930weblink">weblink live, The steepest grade on the system was 1 in 10.Blee, Ian (January 1979). "Under Two Wires in New Zealand, Part 3 – Wellington (continued)". Trolleybus Magazine No. 104, pp. 5–11. National Trolleybus Association (UK). {{issn|0266-7452}}.{{rp|7}}

Routes

The following routes were operated:Trolleybus City: Wellington {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118010224weblink |date=18 January 2018 }} Trolley Motion{|class="wikitable sortable"style="background:#E0E0E0;"!Route || From || To || Notes 1 Wellington railway station Island Bay 2 Wellington railway station Miramar, New Zealand >| 3 Karori >Lyall Bay >| 5 Wellington railway station Hataitai converted to diesel buses October 2015 6 Wellington railway station Lyall Bay 7 Wellington railway station Kingston, Wellington >| 9 Wellington railway station Aro Street 10 Wellington railway station Wellington Zoo 11 Wellington railway station Seatoun Routes operated all day every day, except route 6 (Monday-Friday peak hours only), 9 and 10 (Monday-Friday only, not evenings). There were insufficient trolleybuses to operate all journeys on these routes, and diesel buses operated daily. In the system's last years, some journeys on route 6 ran beyond the wires to Molesworth Street, and were operated by diesel buses, evening services were usually operated by diesel buses, and trolleybuses did not run at the weekend.Evaluating the impact of different bus fleet configurations {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127222810weblink |date=27 January 2018 }} PricewaterhouseCoopers April 2014Why trolleybuses are more cost effective than battery buses {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131722weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Trolley Motion 9 May 2016

Route descriptions

The main city-centre corridor was along the Golden Mile from Wellington railway station (terminus of all routes except the 3) via Lambton Quay and Willis Street (served by all routes) to Courtenay Place (served by routes 1, 2, 3, and 6).To the west, route 3 traveled to Karori Park via Glenmore Street and the Karori Tunnel, connecting into the Golden Mile south of the railway station.To the south-west, routes 7 and 9 ran along Willis Street (northbound), Victoria Street (southbound) before splitting – the 7 climbed the hill southwards to Brooklyn, Mornington and Kingston, the 9 ran west up the Aro Valley.To the south, four routes ran to Newtown (1 and 3 via the Basin Reserve, 10 and 11 via Taranaki Street), with the 1 continuing south to Island Bay, the 10 terminating at Wellington Zoo, and the 3 and 11 turning east to Kilbirnie, where they met routes 2 and 6 via the bus tunnel and Hataitai. From Kilbirnie, routes 2 and 11 ran east to Hobart Street, where the 2 headed north to Miramar, and the 11 continued east to Seatoun; routes 3 and 6 ran south to Lyall Bay.

Vehicles

File:Wellington Designline trolleybus with Lyall Bay (2015).jpg|thumb|2009-built DesignLine trolleybus in GO Wellington livery next to Lyall BayLyall BayThe initial service from 1924 until 1932 was operated by an AEC 602.For the expanded network, 10 Crossley Empires were purchased in 1949. These were followed by BUT RETB/1s bodied by Commonwealth Engineering (38), Metro Cammell Weymann (52) and New Zealand Motor Bodies (19) between 1951 and 1964, the last 38 chassis being manufactured under subcontract by Scammell.BOOK, Lockwood, Stephen, A-Z of British Trolleybuses, 2017, Crowood Press, 9781785002885, Sixty-eight Hawke Coachwork and Coachwork International Volvo B58s were delivered between 1981 and 1986, with 20 unused New Zealand Motor Bodies bodied Volvo B10Ms purchased from the Auckland Regional Authority after it cancelled plans to renew its network. The B10Ms were later converted to diesel buses.Volvo B10M Buses & Coaches {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122191621weblink |date=22 January 2018 }} Omnibus SocietyA prototype DesignLine trolleybus was delivered in March 2003 followed by another two in May 2005.Trolleybus Magazine No. 249 (May–June 2003), p. 66. Delivery of the 57-vehicle production series began in December 2007 and finished in September 2009.'$45m deal to rebuild Wellington's trolley buses {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422214926weblink |date=22 April 2008 }} Dominion Post 11 May 2007Trolleybus Magazine No. 288 (November–December 2009), p. 141. National Trolleybus Association (UK).weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111108191657weblink">Last new-generation trolley bus hits the road NZ Bus 2 September 2009 Using some components from the Volvos, they had a greater passenger capacity than previous trolleybuses, were low-floor and incorporated other improvements.PRESS RELEASE, Wellington to get 61 new trolley buses, 10 May 2007, Greater Wellington Regional Council,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070520145229weblink">weblink access-date=24 December 2017, They were able to operate for short distances off-wire from batteries. The electrical equipment was provided by Eletra Industrial of Brazil.Trolleybus Magazine No. 263 (September–October 2005), p. 120. National Trolleybus Association (UK). {{issn|0266-7452}}.In April 2016, NZ Bus announced that it would repower several buses, including all of its trolleybuses, with Wrightspeed gas-turbine hybrid powertrains.Wrightspeed and Infratil Announce US $30M Agreement to Bring Clean Transportation to Australasia {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612144835weblink |date=12 June 2017 }} Wrightspeed 20 April 2016New Zealand's largest bus company to retrofit fleet with electric engines {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131701weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} The Guardian 21 April 2016 However this was not completed before the trolleybuses were withdrawn.The trolley buses are gone, but confusion remains {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131647weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Dominion Post 5 December 2017{|class="wikitable sortable"style="background:#E0E0E0;"!Fleet numbers || Quantity || Chassis || Axles || Body || Entered service 1 align=centerAssociated Equipment Company>AEC 602 align=center1 – AEC 602 Trackless Tram {{Webarchive>url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120185116weblink |date=20 January 2018 }} Omnibus Society 1–10 align=centerCrossley Motors>Crossley Empire align=centerWellington City Council >New Zealand Orders – Crossley Trolleybuses {{Webarchive>url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131939weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} Commercial Motor 14 September 1945 11–48 align=centerBUT RETB/1 > 2 Commonwealth Engineering 1951–56BUT for Copenhagen {{Webarchiveweblink >date=17 January 2018 }} Commercial Motor 12 August 1949 49–81 align=center 2 Metro Cammell Weymann 1958–59British PSV Production Leads the World {{Webarchiveweblink >date=29 November 2014 }} Commercial Motor 2 October 1959 82–100 align=center1 2 Metro Cammell Weymann 1964JACK>FIRST=DOUGYEAR=1977LOCATION=GLOSSOP, 0-903839-13-X, 101-119 align=center1 2 Coachwork International >| 1964 120-139 align=centerVolvo B10M > 2 New Zealand Motor Bodies 1983 201–233 align=centerVolvo B58 > 2 Hawke Coachwork 1981Volvo B58 Buses & Coaches {{Webarchiveweblink >date=22 January 2018 }} Omnibus Society 234–268 align=centerVolvo B58 > 2 Coachwork International 1984–86 301–303 align=centerEnvironmental Performance Vehicles>DesignLine align=centerEnvironmental Performance Vehicles>DesignLine 2003–05NZ Bus {{Webarchiveweblink >date=17 January 2018 }} Australian Bus Fleet Lists 331–387 align=center 3 DesignLine 2007–09 {{note|1|†}} manufactured under subcontract by ScammellVehicles were initially painted silver, until an all red livery was adopted in 1958. Stagecoach applied its corporate white with orange and blue stripes livery.

Preservation

File:Big red bus 01.jpg|thumb|Preserved BUT RETB/1 trolleybus 90 in December 2012]]Several former Wellington trolleybuses have been preserved:

• the Foxton Trolley Bus Museum has BUTs 90 and 119 and Volvo 268Wellington City Transport Volvo B58 Trolley Bus 268 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207100203weblink |date=7 February 2018 }} Omnibus Society
• the Tramway Historical Society, Christchurch have BUT 103 and Volvo 258Wellington No 103 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120100805weblink |date=20 January 2018 }} Tramway Historical SocietyWellington Volvo No 258 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120100811weblink |date=20 January 2018 }} Tramway Historical Society
• the Wellington Tramway Museum has BUT 91
• The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft repatriated BUT 82 to England in 2012 and returned it to operational conditionWellington 82 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131800weblink |date=17 January 2018 }} The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft

See also

• Transport in New Zealand
• List of trolleybus systems

References

Notes

{{reflist}}

External links

{{commons category|Trolleybuses in Wellington}}

• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090831011227weblink">Knewstubb's Trolley Bus Web Site archive
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/19990128223307weblink"> The Wellington Trolleybus Page
• Trolleybuses of New Zealand
• Flickr gallery of DesignLine trolleybuses taken in 2010
• WEB,weblink Trams and Trolley buses at Wellington Railway Station (1963 photo), National Library, 2022,

{{Bus transport in New Zealand}}{{Trolleybus systems in Oceania}}