List of trolleybus systems in France

Irisbus Cristalis in Limoges A Hess trolleybus in Nancy Map of all trolleybus systems, past and present, in France and in the former territories under French administration

This is a list of trolleybus systems in France by region. It includes all trolleybus systems, past and present. Bold text indicates a system that is still operating.

## Alsace

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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Gleislose Bahn Mühlhausen | Mulhouse | 9 Oct 1908  | 14 July 1918  | See also Trolleybus de Mulhouse (in French) for the first system, German denomination Gleislose Bahn Mühlhausen for the first system, because Mulhouse was part of German Empire until 1918.
5 Jul 1946  | 1968
| Strasbourg | 27 May 1939  | 31 Mar 1962  |

## Aquitaine

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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| Bordeaux | May 1940  | 1954  |

## Burgundy

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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| Dijon | 7 Jan 1950  | 30 Mar 1966  |

## Brittany

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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| Brest | 29 July 1947  | 1970  |
| Saint-Malo | 1906  | 5 Jun 1907  | Electrobus designed by Louis Lombard-Gérin made by Compagnie de Traction par Trolley Automoteur, and run by Société des Tracteurs Breton.[1][2]
10 Jul 1948  | 30 Sep 1959  |

## Centre-Val de Loire

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Tours | 5 Oct 1947  | 29 Jun 1968  | See also Trolleybuses in Tours.

##  Franche-Comté

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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| Belfort | 4 Jul 1952  | 1 Aug 1972  |

## Upper Normandy

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Le Havre | 1 Aug 1947  | 28 Dec 1970  |
| Rouen | 2 Jan 1933  | 26 Jun 1970  |

## Île-de-France

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Fontainebleau | 12 Jun 1901  | 30 Aug 1913  | Louis Lombard-Gérin, first commercial trolleybus route.[1]
| Paris | 2 Aug 1900  | 12 Nov 1900  | at Vincennes, Lombard-Gérin.[1]
1912  | 1914  | at Saint-Mandé. Mercedes-Stoll. Also Jan 1922 demonstration.
| ♦ Vitry-sur-Seine | 7 Apr 1925  | 8 Jul 1935  |
| ♦ Porte de Champerret – Bezons / Argenteuil | 8 Jan 1943  | 31 Mar 1962  |
| ♦ Porte de Choisy – Choisy-le-Roi and Porte d'Italie – Thiais | 16 Jan 1950  | 31 Mar 1966  |

## Languedoc-Roussillon

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Nîmes – Remoulins | 10 Jul 1924  | 31 Dec 1927  |
| Perpignan | 21 Sep 1952  | Jun 1968  |

## Limousin

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Limoges | 14 Jul 1943  |   | See also Trolleybuses in Limoges.

## Lorraine

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Forbach | 19 May 1951  | 1 Nov 1969  |
| Metz | 14 Sep 1947  | 30 Apr 1966  |
| Nancy | 27 Sep 1982  |   | See Trolleybuses in Nancy.

## Midi-Pyrénées

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
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| Montauban | Jan 1903  | 1904  | Lombard-Gerin. [1]

## Pays de la Loire

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
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| Le Mans | 13 Nov 1947  | 1969  |

## Picardy

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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| Amiens | 1946  | Feb 1963  |

## Poitou-Charentes

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
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| Poitiers | 9 Aug 1943  | 3 Mar 1965  |

## Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
|

| Aubagne – Cuges-les-Pins | 19 Sep 1927  | 20 Jul 1958  |
| Marseille | 13 Jun 1903  | 1 Sep 1905  | First system, Lombard-Gerin, connected Allauch and La Rose.[1]
26 Apr 1942  | 25 Jun 2004 [3] | Second system included an interurban line to Aix-en-Provence.
| Nice | 30 Apr 1942  | 12 Sep 1970  |
| Toulon | 7 May 1949  | 19 Feb 1973  |

## Rhône-Alpes

[edit]

Name of system  | Location  | Date (from)  | Date (to)  | Notes

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|
|
|

| Chambéry | 6 Oct 1930  | Jun 1940  |
| Grenoble | 1 Aug 1947  | 24 Jun 1999  |
| Lyon | 1 September 1905  | 10 September 1906  | First system, Schiemann, located at Charbonnières-les-Bains.
4 Sep 1935  | –  | See also Trolleybuses in Lyon.
| Modane \- Lanslebourg | 20 Aug 1923  | Jun 1940  |
| Moûtiers – Salins (-les-Thermes) | 15 Apr 1930  | Mar 1965  |
| Saint-Étienne | 1 Jan 1942  |   | System included an interurban line to Firminy.
See also Trolleybuses in Saint-Étienne.

* Note: The former TVR, or GLT, system in Caen and the Translohr system in Clermont-Ferrand are not listed, as they are not commonly considered to be trolleybus systems,[4][5] since their vehicles use(d) pantographs to collect current and therefore were not able to operate away from the surface guideway while remaining in electric mode. The GLT vehicles formerly used on the Nancy system, by comparison, were able to do so, as they used trolley poles to collect current, so the Nancy system continued to be considered a trolleybus system during its GLT era.[4]

## See also

[edit]

* Buses portal
* France portal

* List of trolleybus systems, for all other countries
* List of town tramway systems in France
* List of light-rail transit systems
* List of rapid transit systems
* Trolleybus usage by country

## Sources

[edit]

### Books and periodicals

[edit]

* Bruce, Ashley. Lombard-Gerin and Inventing the Trolleybus Trolleybooks, 2017, ISBN 978-0-904235-25-8.
* Murray, Alan (2000). World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks. ISBN 0-904235-18-1.
* Trolleybus Magazine, various issues. National Trolleybus Association (UK). Bimonthly. ISSN 0266-7452.

### References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Bruce, Ashley R. Lombard-Gerin and Inventing the Trolleybus. (2017) Trolleybooks (UK). ISBN 978-0-904235-25-8.
2. ^ Prentice, John R. Prentice. "Tramway Information". www.tramwayinfo.com. Prentice. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
3. ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 258 (November-December 2004), p. 137.
4. ^ a b Webb, Mary (ed.) (2009). "World Urban Tram and Light Rail Systems" and "World Urban Trolleybus Systems" (lists). Jane's Urban Transport Systems 2009-2010. Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2903-6.
5. ^ Box, Roland, ed. (March–April 2000). "Is it a Bus? Is it a Tram?". Trolleybus Magazine. No. 230\. National Trolleybus Association. p. 26\. ISSN 0266-7452.

## Further reading

[edit]

* De Coster, Roland; Hamal, Thierry; and Stas, Dominique (eds.) (1997). TRAM 2000 - Flash 1997: France. Brussels, Belgium: TRAM 2000 asbl.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Trolleybuses in France at Wikimedia Commons