West Bengal State Transport Department plans to phase out trams; run only one heritage route

West Bengal State Transport Department has decided to reduce tram services in Kolkata, restricting it to only one route to preserve its heritage, The Indian Express reported.

The state government is likely to submit a detailed report on its policies regarding the tramways. Trams currently run on three routes in the city, namely from Tollygunge to Ballygunge, Gariahat to Esplanade, and Shyambazar to Esplanade but it plans to shut down all these routes and maintain a single line near the race course area to preserve its heritage, the article further said.

There is a “PIL in the High Court and during a hearing the government was asked by the HC to submit their policy regarding trams, which we will submit soon,” The Indian Express quoted the state Transport Minister Snehashish Chakraborty.

“It’s not practical to run trams on city roads in today’s time. We will keep the tram only to the extent that it’s heritage is preserved. Tram was functional in 15 cities apart from Kolkata, but gradually it was called off everywhere, definitely there are reasons," Chakraborty told The Indian Express.

Horse-drawn trams first started plying in the City of Joy about a hundred and fifty years ago in 1873. Introduced by the British in the then capital city, it was first in all of Asia. The tramways were then electrified in 1902. However, as the decades rolled by, the humble tramcars couldn't keep up with the ever increasing vehicles on the streets. Nonetheless, the tram holds a special place in the popular imagination of the city, having served as a cheap and convenient mode of transportation for all these years. It has also been a regular feature in classic Bengali movies. For a century and a half it has seamlessly integrated into the daily life of the city and its residents.

The government's plan has been met with strong opposition from heritage conservationists and other organisations. Moreover, trams have seen some revival techniques in the recent years including a tram library, running for around 4 kms between Shyambazar and Esplanade, passing through College Street, the city's education hub. This was meant to not only revive the tram but also rekindle a love for reading among the students and adults alike.