The Pyongyang

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

system forms part of the

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...

network of

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

, the capital city of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

, and extends to some of its suburbs.

History

The first plans for a trolleybus network were proposed in 1957, though construction only began in 1960, after Kim Il-sung ordered it. The network begun operation on 30 April 1962, with an opening ceremony at Pyongyang Railway station to commemorate the opening of the line from the Three Revolutions Exhibition at Ryonmot-dong to the railway station. The network began without a depot; trolleybuses were parked in the open. In September 1963, the Pyongyang station to Arch of Triumph. In the second half of 1964, a line from

Moranbong Moranbong or Moran Hill (literally "PeonyHill", often "PeonyPeak") forms a park located in central Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Its summit is the location of the Pyongyang TV Tower. There are multiple monumental structures located ...

to Palgol opened. By the end of 1964, the fleet consisted 130 Chollima-9.11 and 24 Chollima 9.25 articulated trolleybuses. Two lines opened in 1965: from Pyongyang station to West Pyongyang on 6 April and from Department Store No. 1 to

Taedonggang station Taedonggang station is a railway station located in P'yŏngyang, North Korea.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), It is located on the south bank of the Taedong River at the junction of the P'yŏngbu and P'yŏngdŏk ...

on 25 August. During that time, there were also alleged plans for the construction of an intercity line to

Pyongsong Pyongsong (, , officially Phyongsong) is a city in North Korea, the capital city of South Pyongan province in western North Korea. The city is located about 32 kilometres northeast of Pyongyang, and was formally established in December 1969. It ha ...

. Since then, a number of routes have been abolished, replaced by the

tram system A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

, though with the closure of tram line 1 from Songsin to Songyo, this section was rebuilt as a trolleybus line. The system is continuously developed, with a new depot serving line 1 and 10 vehicles built in 2016. The first closures occurred in the 1970s, due to the opening of the

Pyongyang Metro The Pyongyang Metro () is the rapid transit system in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It consists of two lines: the Chollima Line, which runs north from Puhŭng Station on the banks of the Taedong River to Pulgŭnbyŏl Station, and the Hyŏ ...

. This was followed by a resurgence in the 1980s, when four new routes opened. Closures occurred again in the 1990s due to the opening of the tram network in Pyongyang.^page:77 Between 1996 and 2005, part of the trolleybus line in

was cut off from the rest of the line, with the area where the line belonged to being transferred to Unjong-guyok of Pyongyang. In 2020, the total route length was about and comprised 11 routes. During the 2022

Day of the Sun The Day of the Sun () is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April, the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to be ...

celebrations, a new line from Songyo to Songhwa was opened, while the line from West Pyongyang to Thermal Power was rerouted, both to serve the new Songhwa and Kyongru-dong residentials districts that they respectively pass through, providing convenient transport to the residents of the new districts.

Services

There are a total of 10 lines in operation. Some former lines were replaced by the

that opened in 1989. The numbers indicated on the dashboard are not route numbers – they are the stopping pattern of that service. This was implemented in July 1972, when

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

sought to reduce traffic jams of trolleybuses, after trolleybus headways were decreased in 1 minute in April 1972.^page:75

Fleet

Most of the vehicles used on the system are North Korean made; some of them based on the Czech

Karosa , industry = Manufacturing (buses, cars, machine tools) , type = , traded_as = Iveco Bus (since 2007) , foundation = 1896 , founder = Josef Sodomka , location = Vysoké Mýto, Czech Republic , area_ ...

buses. The fleet also includes Hungarian Ikarus trolleybuses, imported as diesel buses and later reconstructed into trolleybuses. For the full list including vehicles in use in other cities, see Trolleybuses in North Korea. The only trolleybus operated in Pyongyang that was not manufactured by

Pyongyang Trolleybus Factory Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population ...

was a single Jipsan-85 articulated trolleybus. File:1964-built Pyongyang articulated trolleybus 903 in 2014.jpg, A Chollima 9.25 built in 1964 File:In front of Pyongyang Station DPRK.jpg, Chollima-70 #801 outside the Pyongyang Station File:North Korea-Pyongyang-Blue bus-01.jpg, A Chollima 973 trolleybus converted from a Karosa C734 diesel bus File:Trolleybus in Pyongyang.jpg, A Chollima 973 trolleybus, #590 also converted from Karosa C734 File:Chollima-091-193.jpg, A domestically produced Chollima-091, 2014 File:Laika ac Pyongyang (7975527162).jpg, Chollima-862 produced since 1986

New rolling stock

New trolleybuses are also produced in other provinces and cities, such as in

Chongjin Chŏngjin (; ) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province (함경북도) and the country's third largest city. It is sometimes called the ''City of Iron''. History Prehistory According to archaeological findings near the lower ...

. Despite the new technology incorporated with the new trolleybuses such as a dual power supply using a battery as a backup and LED displays, they do not have air conditioning. The new trolleybuses were subject to news coverage in the

Rodong Sinmun ''Rodong Sinmun'' (; ) is a North Korean newspaper that serves as the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. It was first published on November 1, 1945, as ''Chŏngro'' (), serving as a communication channel ...

, receiving multiple front page headlines subjecting the tests.

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's se ...

also made visits to the Pyongyang Trolley Bus Factory, with the intention to turn the factory 'into a world-class trolley bus producer'. The first visit in February featured the Chollima-316 trolleybus, while the August visit featured the Chollima-321 trolleybus. In total, about 200

Chollima-091 The Chollima-091 () is a high-floor, articulated trolleybus built from 2009 to 2018 by Pyongyang Trolleybus Factory for the Pyongyang trolleybus system. The name refers to the Chollima Movement which in itself derives from the mythological Choll ...

were manufactured, about twenty Chollima-316 and at least 40

Chollima-321 The Chollima-321 (Korean: 천리마 -321) is a North Korean trolleybus with battery power built by the Pyongyang Trolley Bus Factory. The name 'Chollima' refers to a myth about a winged horse that has since been adopted as the name of North Korea's ...

were produced.

References

External links