# Trolleybuses in Petrozavodsk

The Petrozavodsk trolleybus system is the only existing trolleybus system in the Republic of Karelia of the Russian Federation and is one of the northern most trolleybus systems in the world. It is operated by the city-owned public transportation company "Gorodskoy Transport". As of April 2023, the network consisted of 6 lines, with 41 operational trolleybuses and 24 in storage.

## History

In 1934 the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Karelian ASSR Edward Gylling suggested creating a trolleybus system in the city but the plans were cancelled after the beginning of World War II.
The construction of the system began in 1947 but the launch was delayed by many years due to various problems.
The system opened on September 5, 1961, along route No. 1 "Tovarnaya Kontora - Kirov Square" and used ZiU-5 trolleybuses.
In 2004, the Trolleybus Administration was reorganized into OJSC "Trolleybus Department of the City of Petrozavodsk" and renamed to "Gorodskoy Transport" in 2010.
Up until 2008 new lines were being planned out but due to the lack of funding and manpower many of the lines were closed down.
Some of the lines had to be changed or closed down due to the lack of maintenance of the Soviet infrastructure.
Due to the lack of fuding "Gorodskoy Transport" often buys used trolleybuses from Moscow and Saint-Peterburg.
In 2023 a transport reform has started which seeks to increase the amount of active lines and upgrade the rolling stock.

## Lines

Currently Active :
| Number | Route | Frequency |
| 1 | Kemskaya – Sudostroitel'naya – Klychevaya – Onezhskoy Flotilii – Rigachina – Chernyshevskogo – Lunacharskogo – Aleksandra Nevskogo – "Pravdy" – Kuibisheva – Lenina – Shotmana – Chapaeva – Lesnoy – Lososinskoe – Heikkonena | 10-23 min. |
| 3 | Zavodskaya – Pervomaisky – Moskovskaya – Varkausa – Kirova – Lenina – Gagarina – Krasnoarmeiksaya – Aleksandra Nevskogo – Lunacharskogo – Radisheva – Hlebokombinat | 15-29 min. |
| 5 | Lyzhnaya – Rovio – Komsomolsky – Krasnoarmeiksaya – Gagarina – Lenina – Kirova – Varkausa – Melen'tyevoi - Zaitseva – "DSK" – Zavodskaya – Zaitseva | 12-29 min. |
| 6 | Korabelov – Antonova – Repnikova – Klychevskoye – Kalinina – Aleksandra Nevskogo – "Pravdy" – Kuibysheva – Lenina – Kirova – Varkausa – Moskovskaya – Pervomaisky – Melen'tyevoi | 14-31 min. |
| 7a | Korabelov – Antonova – Repnikova – Klychevskoye – Lyzhnaya – Rovio – Komsomolsky – Rovio | up to 40 min. (excluding weekends and holidays) |
| 8 | Zavodskaya – Pervomaisky – Moskovskaya – Varkausa – Kirova – Lenina – Gagarina – Shotmana – Chapaeva – Lesnoy – Lososinskoe – Heikkonena | 30-38 min. |
Currently Inactive :
| Number | Route | Length | Date |
| 1A | Trolleybus Control – Avangard | 17 km. | 1983–1984 |
| 2 | The same route as current line 5 | | 1964–1976, 1982–2018 |
| 2A | Rovio – Gagarina | 6,1 km. | 1986–1987 |
| 3A | Zavodskaya – Rovio | 19 km. | 1977–1984 |
| 4 | Lyzhnaya – Oktyabyrsky | | 1976–2021 |
| 4A | Rovio – Mashinostroitelny kolledzh | 12 km. | 1985 |
| 5A | Lyzhnaya – Gagarina | 9,4 km. | 1988–1996 |
| 5Д | Trolleybus Control – Gagarina | 7,8 km. | |
| 6A | Korabelov – Cargo station | 22,4 km. | 2003–2004 |
| 7 | Same as 7a | 23 km. | 2004–2007 |
| 9 | Korabelov – Cargo station | 22,4 km. | 2006–2008 |
| 10 | Heikkonena – Park kultury i otdykha | 17 km. | 2007–2008 |
| Э | Pobeda cinema – Kirova Square | 5,1 km. | 2005 |

## The fleet

| Model | Number | Years of Operation | Operated as of January 2024 | Total Amount |
| ZiU-5 | 01—49 | 1961—1977 | 0 | 49 |
| ZiU-5G | 50—67 | 1967—1981 | 0 | 18 |
| ZiU-5D | 68—85 | 1969—1981 | 0 | 18 |
| ZiU-682B | 86—139, 141—150 | 1973—1990 | 0 | 64 |
| ZiU-682V | 86—139, 141—150 | 1979—1995 | 0 | 52 |
| ZiU-682V (B00) | 203—246, 248 | 1985—2022 | 0 | 45 |
| ZiU-682V-012 [V0A] | 247, 249—264 | 1985—2022 | 0 | 17 |
| ZiU-682V-013 [V0V] | 265—272 | 1990—2022 | 0 | 8 |
| ZiU-682G [G00] | 273—319 | 1991–2023 | 0 | 47 |
| ZiU-682G-012 [G0A] | 320—323 | 1995—2021 | 0 | 3 |
| ZiU-682G-016.02 | 358—361, 372—376 | Since 2009 | 3 | 8 |
| VMZ-170 | 322, 325, 382 | 2000—2021 | 0 | 3 |
| VMZ-5298.01-50 "Avangard" | 370, 371, 377, 378, 409, 413–426, 428, 430, 432, 452 | Since 2012 | 12 | 19 |
| VZTM-5284 | 324, 326–333, 335, 379, 403, 405, 406, 411, 422 | Since 2003 | 1 | 16 |
| MTRZ-5279-0000012 | 334-338 | 2005—2022 | 0 | 1 |
| LiAZ-5280 (VZTM) | 339—345, 347, 348, 350–357, 359 | Since 2005 | 0 | 21 |
| LiAZ-5280 | 362—367, 369 | Since 2009 | 1 | 7 |
| LiAZ-5280.02 (PT) | 346, 349 | 2006—2008 | 0 | 2 |
| MAZ-103T | 368 | 2010—2016 | 0 | 1 |
| KTG-1 | 140 | 1977—1994 | 0 | 1 |
| BTZ-52768T | 377,378 | 2018—2022 | 0 | 2 |
| VMZ-5298-020 | 385 | 2018—2022 | 0 | 1 |
| VMZ-5298-23-01 | 380 | 2018—2021 | 0 | 1 |
| MTRZ-6223-0000010 | 381, 383, 384, 386, 397, 399, 402, 404 | Since 2018 | 1 | 9 |
| MTRZ-52791 "Sadovoye Kol'tso" | 387—400 | 2020—2022 | 0 | 10 |
| PTZ-5283 | 407 | 2021—2021 | 0 | 1 |
| BKM 321 | 427, 429, 434, 436, 438 | Since 2022 | 4 | 5 |
| VMZ-5298.01 (VMZ-463) | 439, 441, 444—450 | Since 2023 | 0 | 7 |
| Trolza-5275.03 "Optima" | 443, 454 | Since 2023 | 0 | 2 |
| VMZ-52981 | 440 | Since 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| VMZ-5298-22 | 442 | Since 2023 | 0 | 1 |