The legacy of Kolkata’s roads owes its reputation in part to the clang of trams rolling down the tracks. For 150 years, the original, ecofriendly, electric vehicles have woven into the very fabric of the city, continuing to be the sole operating tram network in India. As a witness to Kolkata’s evolution, trams serve as a link between the city’s colonial days and prayers for its revival and growth as a green, pocket friendly mode of transport, something desperately needed at a time of unprecedented pollution and global warming.
Kolkata was the first and is the last Indian city to have a tram service. The first tram in India made its inaugural journey in 1873 across a 3. 9-km distance from Armenian Ghat to Sealdah. The 177 trams that were drawn by horses did not immediately attract locals until electricity was introduced in 1902.
According to Debasish Bhattacharyya, president of Calcutta Tram Users’ Association (CTUA), 1989 was the last time a new tram was manufactured and added to the Kolkata routes. “In 1989, roughly 300 trams were in circulation. Today, there remain about 230, of which about 10 are operational. The downfall of trams in Kolkata started in 1990 when the World Bank funds for expansion of the tram network was halted. The same year, the then transport minister had called it an obsolete mode of transport. This process of shrinkage continued over 30 years. ”
Kolkata’s tram network was the first in the country and now, the only surviving one. The number of trams in the city has dwindled over the years, coming down to only a handful on four routes at present
The rapid dwindling of trams in Kolkata in no way reflect the unyielding public adoration for the service and its popularity on social media. In February, when the city celebrated 150 years of trams, the state transport department held a week-long Tram-Jatra, a spectacle of decorated trams cutting through Esplanade, drawing crowds from as far as Australia. Gavin Rozario, the only, Anglo-Indian tram conductor in Kolkata, recalled the enthusiasm from the crowd and the presence of ‘trammies’, like Melbourne-based Roberto D’Andrea. “Roberto has been visiting Kolkata for the past 30 years, bridging a Kolkata-Melbourne connection as two of the few non-European cities with networks of tramways,” he said.
Commuters often reminisce about the leisurely pace of life on a tram in an era marked by hurried routines and digital interactions. As a tram trundles along, friendships are struck on board, stories exchanged, and lives interwoven. Traffic superintendent at Ballygunge tram depot Samit Chandra said, “Twenty or so years ago, when there were fewer private vehicles on roads, the speed of trams was between 20kmph and 30kmph, especially in the Kidderpore area. Now, the movement is quite slow. But people still enjoy the slow pace. We often get requests to rent out our trams for birthday parties so that guests can glide through the city while making memories. ”
The role of trams has diversified into a melange of modern memorabilia. Tram cafes and tram museums have cropped up, attracting a notably youthful crowd. The Smaranika Tram Museum in Esplanade is a 1938 tram, which has been converted into a cafe with an attached area that stores a century-old relic. Jallaludhin Sheikh who runs the cafe said, “This is the only tram museum in Asia. We have been running it for 14 years. On most days, we have a long queue of people outside. ”
The electric trams in service and the few preserved in depot museums are a far cry from the oldest trams, made of wood, some of which are housed in Nonapukur Tram Depot. “Wooden trams and doubledecker buses were in vogue during my childhood. Many of them have been renovated while others are kept at Nonapukur,” said Bhattacharyya.
Kolkata’s trams are set to play a crucial role in the city’s sustainable transportation ecosystem. With an increasing focus on reducing carbon emissions and congestion, trams are being reimagined as a green and eco-friendly option. But the desperate need for a green mode of transport comes at a time when only a handful of trams run across the city. Between 2014 and 2019, the 127 operational trams on 56 routes shrank to only 35 on 7 routes. At present, only four routes are in service. Last week, Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim had even said that tram tracks not in use any more needed to be removed as they might pose a threat to two-wheelers, although he was in favour of continuing services on existing routes.
The dismal image notwithstanding, a ray of hope glimmers for India’s last surviving tram network. In April, the West Bengal Transport Corporation hired 44 tram drivers after 20 years of no new recruitment. While existing drivers and conductors are nearing retirement, a new generation is under training. Debashish Dey, starter at Ballygunge tram depot, said, “We just had two retirements. After a few months of training, we are set to get a new set of drivers. ” Chandra added, “The trainees have been chosen from those part of the tram services, like cleaners or those who manage the tracks and change the routes. It is a specialized skill that requires adequate preparation. Those who join work in trams as engineers or managers usually spend their lives in this service. ”
Between hope for a promising future pinned to environmentalism, tourism and heritage preservation, and despair for the forgotten routes and obscured histories of the hundreds of varieties of trams, Kolkata trams are a living museum of the city’s transport diversity. The wheels of fortune will determine how the city travels in future as well as the quality of the air the residents breathe.
