Salzburg AG to rebuild trolleybus depot for €43 million

Salzburg AG is investing €43 million to replace the city’s ageing trolleybus depot, with capacity set to rise to 160 vehicles, ORF reported.

Work began several weeks ago at the three-hectare depot on Alpenstraße in southern Salzburg. The nearly 80-year-old bus buildings are being replaced step by step, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held on Monday morning.

The depot currently accommodates about 130 trolleybuses. Salzburg Lines managing director Reinhard Gassner said the city’s planned expansion of bus services will require more space. The fleet should be sufficient for next year’s route network reform, he said, but a service every seven and a half minutes would require another 15 to 20 trolleybuses.

It remains undecided whether the additional vehicles will be conventional trolleybuses or battery-powered buses, as suggested by Mayor Bernhard Auinger. Gassner said the company is discussing the fleet’s medium-term development with the city and assessing which vehicles are best suited to operate the service.

The new depot is due to be completed by 2031. The company says construction will not affect bus punctuality.