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The trolleybus is a mode of public transport available with the Cities: Skylines Sunset Harbor DLC. To start using it, you’ll first need to reach the Busy Town population milestone, which can happen anywhere from 1,200 to 5,000 citizens, depending on the map.
Setting up your trolleybus system involves the following steps:
Building a trolleybus depot
Building or upgrading roads with trolleybus wires
Creating lines
Step 1: Building a Trolleybus Depot
Open the Transport menu, and click on the Trolleybus tab, where you’ll find the depot. Build it for ₡40,000.
Go to the Transport build menu (1) and the Trolleybus tab (2) to build the trolleybus depot.
Step 2: Building Roads (Or Upgrading Existing Ones) with Trolleybus Wires
Trolleybuses can only run on roads that have the overhead wires for them. You’ll find these in the trolleybus tab as well.
You have three options for roads with trolleybus wires: two-way two-lane, one-way two-lane, and two-way four-lane.
Depending on your needs, you can either build new roads or upgrade existing streets with them, in the same way you would upgrade any other road type.
Make sure to place these trolleybus-compatible roads in such a way that the trolleybuses have a path to and from the depot.
Step 3: Creating Lines
Once you’ve laid out your roads, click on the Trolleybus Line tool to start placing stops.
While the Trolleybus Line tool is selected, all compatible roads will show up as light orange. Start placing different stops along these roads.
Use the Trolleybus Line tool to create a route that forms a loop.
The buses will need to loop back to their starting stop, so make sure to click once more on the first stop to complete the line.
With that done, you should start seeing the trolleybuses emerge from the depot and start going on their routes soon!
Are Trolleybuses Worth Using?
From a purely functional point of view, trolleybuses don’t really provide an advantage.
They work in the same way as buses (and the quieter biofuel buses), with the disadvantage of requiring a specific road type to run on. They even have the same capacity of 30 per bus.
Use them if you like them aesthetically; otherwise there’s no need for them in your city.
Liz is a writer and photographer with a love for building and strategy games. Her spare time is often split between lifting, reading, drawing, annoying her dog Mr. Porky Butt, and squinting at stat tables on the wiki pages of whatever game she's currently playing.
