Tallinn to buy another 30 battery trolleys, planning Lasnamäe trolley link
Tallinn will buy a further 30 battery trolleybuses from Škoda, bringing the total in the capital city to 70. There are also plans to extend their reach to Haabersti and Lasnamäe.
The new buses are scheduled to begin arriving on Tallinn's streets gradually, starting in May 2026.
Trolleybus service will first be restored along current bus routes 81, 83, 84 and 85 — formerly trolleybus lines 1, 3, 4 and 5 — where 18 standard and 22 articulated trolleybuses will begin operating.
The new vehicles will be used on route No. 72. This is the former trolleybus line No. 9, which ran between Kopli and Mustamäe and where the existing infrastructure allows for service restoration without the need to build new overhead wiring.
In the second phase of expanding the trolleybus network, the city plans to partially deploy the new vehicles along current bus route No. 42 (Õismäe–Lasnamäe), which is the most heavily used bus line in Tallinn. However, this will require new infrastructure to be built along Paldiski maantee and Laagna tee.
Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) said that although there has previously been talk of extending tram service to Laagna tee, the city government believes trolleybuses are a better fit for Lasnamäe.
Unlike trams, trolleybuses can exit the so-called Lasnamäe canal corridor and pick up passengers from other streets as well, he said.
The new trolleybuses will be partially financed by the European Modernization Fund, which has allocated €12.1 million for the acquisition of 17 of the new trolleybuses.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Marcus Turovski
