Location: 710 km. east of Kiev
Founded: 1869 (Status of the city: 1938)
Population: 67 916 (1989); 60 600 (2009)

A nondescript city in the Donbass region, that relies on mining and metallurgic industry. Even though the former industry is in decline, the latter still chugs along. Thus, the city is somewhat better off economically than its neighbors in this otherwise depressed region.

A small but formerly lively trolleybus network. There were 39 trolleybuses operating on 4-5 minute headways during the heyday of trolleybus operation at the end of the Soviet era. The system experienced sharp decline between 2000-2008, which culminated with just 6 trolleybuses operating for half a day only. On 05.2009 the trolleybus operation in tandem with diesel midibus and route-taxis operations were contracted out for 10 years to a single out-of-town private operating company, with the city retaining all property rights. Such arrangement casts doubts whether profit driven private company would be genuinely interested in maintaining the uneconomical trolleybus arm of the undertaking at the expanse of the profitable diesel midibus and route-taxis arm. There was very limited improvement in trolleybus operation since 2009.

There were 10 diesel-electric cargo duo-lorries available on the property in the 1980s, which indicates an active freight trolley service.

History of network development:
04.02.1982 – From Zh.D. Vokzal (Main Railroad Station) to Promrayon via Krasnoznamenskaya Ul., Andreya Chmaka Ul.; the Line 1 opens.
06.06.1983 – From Andreya Chmaka Ul. to Mikrorayon "Yubileyniy" via Klary Tsetkin Ul.; the Line 2 Mikrorayon "Yubileyniy" – Promrayon (rush hours only) and the Line 3 Mikrorayon "Yubileyniy" – Zh.D. Vokzal open.
12.09.1983 – From Mikrorayon "Yubileyniy" to Depot, two-way; from Mikrorayon "Yubileyniy" to Polupanova Bulv. via Zhukovskogo Ul., A.Gaydara Ul.; the Line 4 Zh.D. Vokzal – Gorbolnitsa opens, via a one-way counterclockwise loop; the Lines 2, 3 are extended to the Depot.
20.04.1986 – The Line 3 closes.
01.10.1986 – From Zh.D. Vokzal to Klary Tsetkin Ul. via Vokzalnaya Ul., Nakhimova Ul., one-way; the Line 3 Promrayon - Zh.D. Vokzal opens, via a one-way clockwise loop (rush hours only).
Late 1990s – The Line 3 closes.
1998 – The trolleybus line relocated from Pionerskiy Per. to Shalimova Ul.

The construction of the 5,8 km. (two-way) line to Shakhta "Kommunist" (the "Kommunist" mine) was started in the early 1990s, but was never finished.

System development on a map:
1982-1983 1983 1986

Length: 22.0 km. (one way), of which 17.5 km. remain operable.

The overhead is in fair state of repair. Dewirements are infrequent.

Only a few elements of an overhead remain of the former old depot access line via Krasina Ul. (1,8 km., one way) and the former one-way line via Vokzalnaya Ul. and Nakhimova Ul. (2,7 km.)

Only overhead support poles remain of the unfunished line to Shakhta "Kommunist" (10,6 km., one way)

[1993]

[2006]

Trolleybuses operate between 6:00-14:30, e.g. for the duration of a single shift for the personnel.

[2011]

* - One vehicle serving the Line 2 is a depot pull out destined for the Line 1.
** - Vehicles are rotated between the Lines 1 and 4.

After a dramatic downfall, the undertaking is mildly turning around. Most notably, beginning from 01.04.2009 the hours of operation were extended from 14:30 to 18:30, however, only 3 vehicles remain in service during extended hours. Even though drastically downsized, the remaining operation is reliable. Schedule adherence is commendable. The timetable is available to public. Trolleybuses are popular, most runs are operated heavily loaded.

[as of 2011]

A total of 13 trolleybuses:
ZiU-682V: 8
YuMZ-T2: 5

The number of operable ZiU vehicles is perpetually on decline. 5 Ukrainian-built YuMZ-T2 trolleybuses were delivered in 1993, 1994 and 1998. There were no rolling stock deliveries since 1998. A single YuMZ-T2 vehicle (035) was rebuilt in 2011. The last remaining diesel-electric cargo duo-lorry was recently sent to Gorlovka.