List of trolleybus systems in France explained

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

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
Gleislose Bahn Mühlhausen	Mulhouse	9 Oct 1908	14 July 1918	See also Trolleybus de Mulhouse 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

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Bordeaux	May 1940	1954

Burgundy

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Dijon	7 Jan 1950	30 Mar 1966

Brittany

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	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

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Tours	5 Oct 1947	29 Jun 1968	See also Trolleybuses in Tours.

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Belfort	4 Jul 1952	1 Aug 1972

Upper Normandy

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Le Havre	1 Aug 1947	28 Dec 1970
	Rouen	2 Jan 1933	26 Jun 1970

Île-de-France

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Fontainebleau	12 Jun 1901	30 Aug 1913	Louis Lombard-Gérin, first commercial trolleybus route.
	Paris	2 Aug 1900	12 Nov 1900	at Vincennes, Lombard-Gérin.
		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

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Nîmes – Remoulins	10 Jul 1924	31 Dec 1927
	Perpignan	21 Sep 1952	Jun 1968

Limousin

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Limoges	14 Jul 1943		See also Trolleybuses in Limoges.

Lorraine

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Forbach	19 May 1951	1 Nov 1969
	Metz	14 Sep 1947	30 Apr 1966
	Nancy	27 Sep 1982		Dual-mode (trolley/diesel) operation until about 2000.

Midi-Pyrénées

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Montauban	Jan 1903	1904	Lombard-Gerin.

Pays de la Loire

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Le Mans	13 Nov 1947	1969

Picardy

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Amiens	1946	Feb 1963

Poitou-Charentes

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	Poitiers	9 Aug 1943	3 Mar 1965

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	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.
		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

width=15%	Name of system	width=20%	Location	width=15%	Date (from)	width=15%	Date (to)	width=35%	Notes
	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 TVR, or GLT, system in Caen and the Translohr system in Clermont-Ferrand are not listed, as they not commonly considered to be trolleybus systems, since their vehicles use pantographs to collect current and therefore are not able to operate away from the surface guideway while remaining in electric mode. The GLT vehicles in Nancy, by comparison, are able to do so, as they use trolley poles to collect current, so the Nancy system is considered to be a trolleybus system.

See also

• 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

Books and periodicals

• Bruce, Ashley. Lombard-Gerin and Inventing the Trolleybus Trolleybooks, 2017, .
• Murray, Alan (2000). World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks. .
• Trolleybus Magazine, various issues. National Trolleybus Association (UK). Bimonthly. ISSN 0266-7452.

References

Further reading

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

Notes and References

1. Bruce, Ashley R. Lombard-Gerin and Inventing the Trolleybus. (2017) Trolleybooks (UK). .
2. Web site: Prentice . John R. Prentice . Tramway Information . www.tramwayinfo.com . Prentice . 24 September 2020.
3. Trolleybus Magazine No. 258 (Nov.-Dec. 2004), p. 137.