Saint Etienne - with trolleybuses into the future

Opened in 1942, Saint Etienne developed during the 1950s and 1960s into a huge middle sized town network - even with suburban lines. At its hight the system operated 7 urban and interurban lines. About 50 years ago the
system started to decline and since 2010 the only left trolleybus line seemed to come to an end as soon the last trolleybus generation would go to scrap.
But since 2018 Saint Etienne made the change in its trolleybus politics. Not even 22 new Solaris T12 trolleybuses were ordered - beside the only one left old line No.3, now called M3, Line 7 (now M7) was reintrodused. Until 2024 further lines will be changed to trolleybus service - this time with a new fleet of 18 articulated trolleybuses, intended for working on lines M4 and M6. Saint Etienne - a city with about 174.000 inhabitants - will make the
trolleybus great again.

Trolleybus 147 on line M7 in Bd.Pierre Mendes France


Trolleybus 136 on line M3 in Bd. Philippe Raoul Duval


Trolleybus 133 on line M3 turing into Bd.Daguerre


Trolleybus 148 on line M7 standing beside motorbus 792 on line M4 (a future trolleybus line too) at Place Bellevue


Trolleybus 141 on line M7 in Rue Antoine Durafour


Trolleybus 148 on line M7 near Musee de la Mine



Photos: Gunter Mackinger 19.5.2022