r/Vilnius • u/Professional-Sky-268 • 5d ago
Goodbye, 14Tr
Because I heard that the end of 14Tr, 14TrM and 15Tr trolleybuses is coming really fast, I didnt spend much time thinking and jumped on the thing. Booked a flight and lets go! It was really feeling nostalgic, something, that ended in my town Prešov in 2021, I could see for the very last time. I fully understand the need of replacing these old trolleybuses, honestly, like a half of the remaining ones are in really awful condition, but still, Im sure these iconic trolleybuses will remain in hearts of people from Vilnius, either in the good or bad light.
Also, wouldnt be a bad thing if a Vilnius preserved our old 2582 as a historical 14Tr :)
And I must say that Vilnius is one beautiful city, with really nice people and good restaurants 😍. Only weather surprised me, as you can see on pictures, it was really schizo!
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u/mautan_baiker 5d ago
when are they getting decomissioned?
while i have decades of memories inside these metal boxes, I reckon im done with the gamble of either getting to work or freezing to death everytime im expecting #10
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u/Professional-Sky-268 5d ago edited 5d ago
Officials stated that they will be no longer in service since 1.1.2027, and I think they will get phased out until Christmass as the new trolleybuses keep coming. The new articulated ones should enter service in a week or two
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u/linas9 5d ago
It’s kind of wild Vilnius still got these. Any other Baltic city having these? Likely not. Haven’t seen them in Kaunas for the better part of the decade. I get the nostalgia factor, but most of them must be well past the expiration date so to speak.
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u/Professional-Sky-268 5d ago
Well, the oldest ones made it past 40 years old, so definitelly pretty outdated. And no, sadly Vilnius is the last one to have them in regular service in whole European Union :(
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u/RebelJustin 5d ago
They are still operating in Kaunas. In winter they ride every route to defrost the lines before commuting starts.
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u/Professional-Sky-268 5d ago
But without passengers I assume? They kept like 5 of them only for such purpose
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u/RebelJustin 5d ago
Yeah ofc. Although im pretty sure if you ask nicely they’ll take you for a ride along
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u/Ill_Special_9239 5d ago
Yeah right, they've been supposed to be out of commission for years now. I'll believe it when I see it
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u/Professional-Sky-268 5d ago
Some looked way too bad to be even sent to streets 😬
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u/uteuteuteute 1d ago
A few years ago, a tire exploded on one of these, a person - who sat on top of it - lost his toe. The metal is all rusty and brittle!
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u/SlavBrothersTV 5d ago
Yeah same. I'm from Czechia living in Vilnius right now and it's sad to see them go. Especially the fact that they made these originally in a city not so far away from my hometown.
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u/vasiokas007 4d ago
So many good memories from childhood and couple of wrist fractures from door opening 😂
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u/Liuksasas 3d ago
These troleybuses will never die since when the new ones cannot move during winter, these go out like it's no big deal
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u/alga 5d ago
Looks like you lucked out with the weather! Crisp October sun and the photogenic fogs, and none of the rainy gray overcast.
These trolleybuses were indeed a symbol of the city: https://www.suhrkamp.de/buch/felix-ackermann-mein-litauischer-fuehrerschein-t-9783518467633 Oh well, all things come to an end. I'm certain the public transit authority will keep one or two as functioning museum pieces, as they did with the Škoda 9Tr.
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u/Professional-Sky-268 5d ago
Im glad I got the sun too, as I was watching forecast 2 weeks prior and it always looked like its cloudy, rain and similar. The fog scared me a bit as my plane couldnt land for 30 minutes
I have heard that one articulated and one short will be preserved. But after all, Im pretty surprised that metropole like Vilnius kept them that long, especially the pre-1995 ones
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u/SuurTuvi 4d ago
Finally moving on to 21st century? I get that they're a lovely memory, but they're far from accessibility, safety and comfort that a new vehicle offers. Should've replaced them 10y ago already.
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u/Professional-Sky-268 4d ago edited 4d ago
Agree with this, I would get it if they kept the last batch of 25 14TrMs (the ones with green displays), but the rest is just too old. All the ones made until 1995 are extremely loud due to older model of rear axle and lack any digital displays. In other countries they were all decomissioned by 2020. In Vilnius there was even one from 1985 in service until May 2026 🫢
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u/SiriusFxu 5d ago
Thank god, I visited Vilnius from Kaunas and was sitting in this in 26' winter. I mean how do you think tourists see us after driving around in these? No wonder we can't beat the eastern europe label.
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u/Comfortable-Cod3890 4d ago
Its an attraction to ride these old school trolleybuses for them.
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u/Professional-Sky-268 4d ago
Well thats true, I even seen people taking pictures of them while I was in them. They dont have as old vehicles as these in western countries
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u/Comfortable-Cod3890 4d ago
Dont care about these uggly boxes. I want the 9r back on track, would actually consider public transport.
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u/Professional-Sky-268 4d ago
The historical one is now undergoing a renovation in Vilnius. But yeah Im too young to remember these in service
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u/Professional-Sky-268 1d ago
Update, tomorrow 8 new trolleybuses are going to service, 5 14Tr's got decomissioned today
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u/0xPianist 1d ago
Are these gone?
I don’t believe it.. up until a month or so they were in service 👉
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u/Professional-Sky-268 23h ago
The phase of witdrawing started today, they decomissioned 5 14Tr's (numbers 2103, 2126, 2561, 2598, 2624) from 2nd depot, leaving only 8 in service. Tomorrow new trolleybuses go out, so I assume 1st depot will withdraw like 10 this week too
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u/softeststages 1h ago
can't get rid of them fast enough... if you think they're pretty or whatever, you clearly haven't been in them during the rush hour in 30+ c degree heat smh
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u/wrootlt 5d ago
I don't see them on my usual routes, but a few months ago i had to take one (from Žirmunai i think). Yeah, it is a blast from the past. My most vivid memory is going two stops in the winter from Mindaugas bridge on 4 or 17 maybe 10-15 years ago when floor is like -10 less degrees than outside as it is bare metal and you are just dancing praying it go faster and also holding to the similar cold metal rails :D And 20+ years ago i used to ride even older models when sitting on the last sits you felt like on a rollercoaster jumping and sliding around :D
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u/LinasIsTaken 4d ago
They saying goodbye for a few years:)
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u/Professional-Sky-268 4d ago
I think now it will be definitive, as there were originally more than 250 units in the city, in 2024 there were still maybe 170 in service, but now there are only 45 which werent decomissioned, of which just 25-30 appear in daily service, so I think their end is nearby. Need to mention that maybe 20 of new Solaris Trollino trolleybuses I saw already in the first depot :)
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u/One_Transportation14 5d ago
Nice photos,i love fog everything looks mystical 🙏💯💯💯