4/4 I wonder if this is mostly a performance by an ambitious young minister seeking attention, and that after a few sacrificial lambs have been slaughtered, wiser counsels will prevail.

3/4 There is at least some comfort in the article, as they do suggest that trolleybuses will be concentrated on trunk routes and they do mention IMC (In Motion Charging).
It's all rather odd, given that Athens is one of the pilot cities for the E-BRT 2030 project, using IMC trolleybuses.

2/4 Cost is not the only factor to consider, agencies need to consider the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. Back in the summer as this row brewed up, BEB service was severely impacted by the heat (HVAC causing battery drain), with buses only doing half their daily mileage.

Top right.
White provides more contrast than orange.
Unlike others, I like the vertical lines. I think they make the reader concentrate on the page rather than drift to the right and off the page.

In speech, I might say, “at the very centre of the city” or “
the very heart” but that usage probably won’t transfer well into technical writing. As others have said, most anglophones will be able to deduce the meaning of hypercentre.
Further thought: could “innermost” work?

Isn't the point that trolleybuses are regarded as a fixed guideway system under federal law? Grants for maintenance, extensions etc., are made by the FTA under the category of fixed guideway, not as mere "buses". So when construing a local law, you take into account the federal definition, I guess.

The BRT fleet is 6 Van Hool Exqucity trolleybuses - as also shown in the video. The Yutong BEBs were acting as substitutes for 2 ETBs undergoing battery maintenance. The trolleybuses have been waiting out of service for a couple of years because of NIMBY obstructionism, so make allowances please.

2. As mentioned before, it has taken a long time to come to fruition, partly because of NIMBY opposition involving a series of court cases. There are plans to extend the system to reach Francavilla, the airport, Chieti Scalo and along the Tiburtina.
www.ilpescara.it/politica/ese...

For the heaviest duty cycles, including challenging hills, trolleybuses could well have a lower TCOs than BEBs - think BEB charging downtime=larger fleets=higher labor input. Plus the poor availabilty e.g. NYC BEBs at only ~60% not 85%
Poor reliability MDBF 2111miles cf diesel 13,000 miles.

At least the pilot bus is being built with three doors. CMBC is studying whether the majority of bus stops give suitable access from the position of all three doors, e.g. free from poles, bins or other obstructive street furniture.
Estimated delivery of pilot bus is June 2026. @chittimarco

If it was 1945, Hanwell was a trolleybus depot. Diesel buses had garages but trolleybuses were housed in depots.

I have my doubts about that claim. The MBTA had wanted to kill the Silverline trolleybuses for years but I never heard this as an argument against the tunnel trolleybus operation. The usual criticism was about the cost of catenary maintenance. @ofsevit.bsky.social ???

2. The fleet comprises 6 Van Hool Exqucity trolleybuses with Kiepe Electric equipment. A ten minute frequency is planned.
The project has been bedeviled by NIMBY opposition to the use of the right of way as reserved track for the trolleybus route. Several years have been spent on litigation.

You bet! 😀

If you read the detail in the article, the energy consumption is well under 1kWh per km, let’s say 0.8 kWh/km, which is around half the consumption of an urban BEB. I suspect the “up to” in “up to 700km” is doing a lot of work. @czrw.bsky.social @ellenteapot.ca

5/5 We don't live in an ideal world. Often, "perfect" solutions are unaffordable and decision makers (whether in cities, businesses, or families) have to choose something that is good rather than ideal.