150-Yr-Old Historic Tram Service to be Suspended in Kolkata Except for One Route

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has decided to suspend the 150-year-old tram services in Kolkata on all routes except for one route from Esplanade to Maidan.

West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty said that this decision was taken as commuters’ demand for faster modes of transport trams often cause congestion on roads due to their slow speed.

Udit Ranjan Gupta of the Calcutta Tram Users’ Association (CUTA) expressed his grief by stating that trams have played a major role in Kolkata’s heritage and the suspension of their services would be a major setback. “The trams will tell the story of a mode of primary transport that is the oldest companion of our city to have survived”, he added.

Trams were introduced in Kolkata by the British government on February 24, 1873. Later the trams operated in many more cities like Patna, Chennai, Nasik, and Mumbai. In all other places, trams were phased out. In Kolkata, trams continue to provide service as a heritage transportation service for over 150 years.

In 1882, steam engines were introduced for the tram services in Kolkata. In 1900, the first electricity-powered tram ran in the city. AC Trams were introduced in Kolkata in 2013.