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Trolleybuses
History
The
idea of installing a trolleybus system in Rosario finds their origins at
the beginning of the 1930s, in the last stage of management of the “Compañía
General de los Tramways Eléctricos del Rosario” (General Company
of Electric Tramways of Rosario, C.G.T.E.R.). Succeeding transportation
operator, “Empresa Municipal Mixta de Transportes del Rosario” (Mixed Municipal
Transportation Company of Rosario, E.M.M.T.R.), also included trolleybus
within its projects.
As
recently as 1958, by management of the Vice-President of the Republic,
Dr. Alejandro Gómez, native of Rosario, the installation of a trolleybus
system could be materialized. The “Sociedad Argentina de Electrificación”
(Argentine Society of Electrification, S.A.D.E.), the same as in the others
Argentine cities that counted on this means of transportation, it was the
superintendent of the tended of the air contact lines and the rectifier
substations for the nourishment of the system. Also, to instances
of S.A.D.E. were acquired forty new trolleybuses to the Italian consortium
integrated by FIAT, Alfa-Romeo and the Compagnía Generale di Elettricitá,
those which arrived to the country in the year 1961.
Meanwhile,
the trolleybus service was begun with 21 used cars brand "M.A.N.- Kiepe
Elektrik - Kassbörer" of 1952, they relinquished by the national company
"Transportes de Buenos Aires” (Transportation of Buenos Aires, T.B.A.).
Inauguration
of Lines
The
inauguration was produced in the morning of May 24th, 1959, and had as
place to the “Plaza Sarmiento” (Sarmiento Square), city transportation
center more important after the omnibus station. For the trolleybuses,
the central square also there would be of be the confluence point of all
their lines. The first route in be inaugurated -though with a reduced
journey by construction- was the “G”, between Plaza Sarmiento and San Martín
Avenue and Saavedra Street, in the South zone of the city. In 1961
this route was extended until the Omnibus Terminal Station “Mariano Moreno”.
On April 15th, 1960 was released to the service the “H” route, first defined
main trunk line of the new system, among the Plaza Sarmiento and the North
tip of the city, in the Highway Police Control of Granadero Baigorria town.
Route “I” emerged as complementary of the “H”, in order to transport with
comfort to the passengers of the intermediate zones, it was inaugurated
September 24th, 1961. The route “J”, inaugurated September 10th,
1961, was the second main route of the system, beginning its journey in
the Rosario Central Station of the General Mitre Railway, peaing in San
Martín Avenue and Muñoz Street, in the South end of the city.
The
most important route of the system, and the one which there would be of
subsisting until the present time is the “K”, enable December 3rd, 1961,
and is recognized as a East-West main trunk, among Pellegrini Avenue and
Necochea Street and Mendoza Avenue and Nicaragua Street. A complementary
of this, route “L”, was inaugurated January 8th, 1962, being extended from
the city´s East quarter until the Rosario Oeste (West) Station of
the General Belgrano Railway.
In
this inaugural stage, in which the trolleyebuses live together with the
tramways until February 12th, 1963, existed advanced projects for the construction
of more trolleybuses lines, though never were materialized.
The
service operator was initially the “Empresa de Transporte de Rosario” (Rosario
Transportation Enterprise, E.T.R.) happening then to be administered through
the “Dirección General de Trolebuses” (Trolleybus General Management,
D.G.T.) of the Rosario Municipality.
Structural
changes
Finally
converted into the “spinal column” of the Rosario urban transportation,
the trolleybuses offered an excellent service, though part of their fleet
-the M.A.N. cars, that they were of the year 1952- began to evidence defects
due to the fact that was approached at the end of its useful life.
A restructuring by mid the decade of 1960s determined the elimination of
the intermediate “I” and “L” routes, and was solved to merge the “G” and
“J” routes, giving origin to the “M” trunk route, between San Martín
Avenue and Muñoz Street and the Omnibus Terminal Station “Mariano
Moreno”, from August 28th, 1967.
Attempts
and Reappearance
In
September of 1969, a popular riot in protest by the repression exercised
by the military dictatorship that therefore was governing to the country,
let as balance important railway and urban transportation infrastructure
destruction. In that opportunity were burned 8 FIAT and 3 M.A.N.
trolleybuses; as result of this, route “H” was temporally closed.
In
1970 were acquired twenty-three “Mercedes-Benz / Kiepe Elektrik” trolleybuses
of 1953/54: 12 of they were new, originating from Buenos Aires, in which
did not operate (by lack of new routes; at last all trolleybus operations
in Buenos Aires were withdrawn in 1966); and 11 they had lent service in
the city of Mendoza. With these units could be rehabilitated route
“H”, as of January 1971, with a variate in the central part of their journey.
Also it was reinforced the “M”, giving relief to the FIAT units, that already
entering the tenth year of service, and were replaced to the few M.A.N.,
that as of now they would would have merely marginal participation.
In
1974 were acquired two more “Mercedes-Benz” trolleybuses, originating from
Bahía Blanca (province of Buenos Aires) city that built his own
system, but that never it could inaugurate it. The Rosario Municipality
had anticipated as of 1973 new routes for the trolleybuses, in lines replacement
of micro-bus that they had ceased their operations. For this was
transacted the purchase of 40 Soviet model “ZIU-5” trolleybuses, and identical
quantity of used FIAT units, belonging to the city of Montevideo (Uruguay)
in which were retired.
Decadence
and privatization
The
coup d'état that finished with the constitutional government in
March 1976 aborted these reappearance plans, through a “de facto” municipal
mayor, that was proposed to dwarf the municipal state. To the little
time was suppressed the route “H” by economic reasons and was stressed
the economic resources acquittance to the Trolleybus General Management.
After two failed attempts, on July 1st, 1979 was privatized the trolleybus
system, being delivered to the “Empresa Martín Fierro S.R.L.”, company
met to the urban transportation by micro-bus in the nearby Villa Gobernador
Gálvez city.
To
the little time, the new company suppressed the collectors aboard of the
units, replacing it by a pre-pay card system, that quickly it was withdrawn
by technical complications. Also it was reformed the bodyshell of
a FIAT trolleybus, endowing it of a most modern aspect. What is same
was made with the three remaining M.A.N. units that was preserved but that
they were withdrawn in 1975. The results were in this case quite discouraging.
At
the beginning of 1980, the new company rehabilitated the route “H”, from
the North extreme of the city until the “Hospitales” (Hospitals) quarter.
Regrettably by pressures of the micro-bus companies, the line was again
closed before could yield its fruit. Nevertheless, in August of that
same year, was solved to merge that failed attempt with route “M”, adopting
the denomination of this last, and resulting a long distance North-South
trunk line.
With
electrical equipment originating from the scrapping of FIAT and “Mercedes-Benz”
trolleybuses, Empresa Martín Fierro S.R.L. built a series of small
trolleybuses with aluminium bodyshells and “Mercedes-Benz” 1114 truck model
chassis, some of those which were the only electrical cars in surviving,
operating until December 31st, 1992.
“Martín
Fierro” also it acquired five Soviet “ZIU-682b” trolleybuses, inaugurated
in 1980 and withdrawn definitely in 1984; a scanty time in service product
of a disastrous maintenance and parts lack. The company also attempted
to design an electrical vehicle propelled to batteries: though were built
three prototypes, the results were not satisfactory and the project was
aborted.
Inefficiency
and a new crisis
The
company demonstrated disability to offer an efficient service, at the same
time that was crossing a difficult economic moment. Through a little
clear political contours operation, the company achieve to replace the
route “M” trolleybuses with micro-buses, on November 3rd, 1984. Was
remaining as of that moment only the route “K”, the one which, far from
be re-equipped, decayed yet more.
The
air contact lines and the rectifier substations outside of service were
damaged and ransacked, without the Rosario Municipality (their owner) exercised
an adequate care of those elements.
In
year 1988 for effect of a generalized electric crisis, the company used
to introduce micro-buses in the “K” route, alternated with the few and
precarious trolleybuses that yet were remaining, those which were operating
only by sunlight and when were not interrupted the electrical supply.
Furthermore, the micro-buses were authorized to arrive to new route extensions,
to where they were not acceding the trolleybuses, by lacking electric contact
line.
While,
route “M” was delivered again in grant to the same company “Martín
Fierro”, but now as an “S.A. / Anonymous Society”, instead of the previous
“S.R.L. / Limited Responsibility Society”, his previous denomination.
With the new grant, in 1989 the “M” happened to be designated line “103”.
Return
of the trolleybuses to the "K" route
To
be expired the grant of the line “K” in year 1991 for the serious breaches
of contract, was called to bidding for a new grant. Around the end
of 1992 the “K” was awarded to the Transient Companies Union integrated
by the companies “Capse S.A.” and micro-bus operator “Molino Blanco S.R.L.”,
adopting the name “Ecobús”, in allusion to the ecological characteristics
of the trolleybuses.
Twenty
new brazilian-built trolleybuses by Powertronics, Marcopolo and Volvo,
originally intended for the city of Belo Horizonte (Brazil), in which never
were put on service, they were acquired by Ecobús to rehabilitate
the “K” route.
After
repairing the air contact lines, repairing the rectifier substations, and
to build new extensions, the trolleybus service on route “K” was to reopen
January 25th, 1994.
The
new trolleybuses recovered the preferences of the public, being relocated
in the first place in the local urban transportation ranking. Ecobús
in a first instance projected the rehabilitation of the “H” and “M” routes,
but this did not prosper. To five service years, route “K” offers
a reasonable service, but it has decayed with respect to their initial
stage, and are not glimpsed attitudes that tend to reverse this situation.