The challenge in building new trolleybus lines is not electricity, but having the necessary economic resources to carry out the projects, said Martín López Delgado, general director of the Electric Transport Service (STE) of Mexico City .
He assured that the entity has the necessary conditions for this type of transport network and can grow; in addition, the infrastructure that had been out of operation for years has been reused.
“In many of the city’s corridors, we already have poles installed since the creation of the main road networks in the 1970s, and that greatly facilitates the implementation of the trolleybus system. Virtually all the main road networks are equipped to install overhead lines, which are used to power the trolleybuses. And the substations we’ve purchased are smaller than the old ones; we require less space for their installation. The electromechanical work has been greatly simplified by our experience and the availability of infrastructure that is no longer in use,” he stated.
During the webinar “The Return of the Trolleybus: A Lever for the Urban Energy Transition ,” Gustavo Jiménez, founder and CEO of E-Mobilitas , indicated that among the main challenges faced by this type of project are the costs, such as the Trolleybus itself, which ranges from $300,000 to $1.5 million per unit , infrastructure that without a prior system can cost from $1 million to $3 million per kilometer, and the energy substations, which must be located about five kilometers from the units.
He specified that the investment decreases when the necessary facilities for this transport are already available, as happened with Mexico City, which was from 150,000 to 200,000 dollars.
“The trolleybus is more economical than an electric battery bus, because the battery can be 300 kilowatts, while for the former it is 80 or up to 120 kilowatts and that will give a range of up to 80 to 100 kilometers (km); that is a key fact that greatly influences prices, which in turn influences the decision of governments,” he said.
He added that, although both reduce the carbon footprint, the environmental impact is less from the Trolleybus due to the size of its battery, and it is also friendly to the urban environment.
Martín López added that the construction of a ground-level system in terms of electromechanical infrastructure has an approximate cost of between five and six million pesos (mdp) , although it will depend on the route, where if it is straight it is cheaper, but if it has curves it becomes more expensive.
While the overpass, including civil works, electromechanical systems and adjacent systems such as electronic toll collection, represents a cost of 150 million pesos.
Furthermore, Gustavo Jiménez commented that, during an investigation, it was identified that Asia and Europe are the regions where this type of transport is most used, while in Latin America it is limited, as well as in Africa.
“This is where we see potential for the resurgence of trolleybuses, since only 5% of these systems operate in Latin America,” he stressed.
Current infrastructure
Martín López specified that the system currently has 462 modern buses , of which 310 are 12 meters long and 152 are 18 meters long, and operates on 13 routes. Among its advantages are efficiency, a range of 75 km or up to 100 km, accessibility for people with reduced mobility, an intelligent fare collection system, and other factors.
“These units have allowed us to go from 120,000 users in 2019 to more than 380,000 on a weekday in 2025. We have tripled ridership and this has improved waiting and travel times. In 2025, we will transport 131 million users on the network,” explained López.
Regarding the lines currently under construction, he detailed that the 14 Azteca Stadium Trolleybus will be fundamental for the 2026 World Cup, and added that in its first phase the origin will be at the Universidad metro station and the destination will be at the Huipulco multimodal transfer center; it will have a length of 13.2 km and 19 units of 12 meters.
Meanwhile, the Ixtapaluca line, with federal government funding, construction by the State of Mexico, and operation by the STE (State Transportation System), will have 50 trolleybuses and connect to Line 11 of the system.
Work will also begin on the Line 0 Revolución branch, which will operate along Circuito Interior, and in its first phase will run from Ciudad Universitaria to Chapultepec. He also mentioned that they are analyzing the construction of a second light rail line.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Evangelina del Toro / @GrupoT21
