Tram-lovers seek revival of key routes on 153rd anniversary

Kolkata: Tram users and transport activists on Monday renewed their demand for the restoration of services on key corridors, marking the 153rd birth anniversary of Asia's oldest surviving tram system with a blend of celebration and concern.With tram operations now confined to only two truncated routes — Shyambazar–Dharmatala and Gariahat–Dharmatala — and services running irregularly, commuter groups said the shrinking network deepened the city's transport crisis. They argued that despite skeletal operations, trams continued to attract a steady stream of passengers, reflecting a latent demand for the zero-emission mode of transport.
"To see such a clean transport system with ready infrastructure being slowly dismantled is unfortunate," said Debasish Bhattacharya, president of the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA). To commemorate the milestone, enthusiasts flagged off a festively decorated vintage tram that completed a round trip along the two operational stretches. Passengers and tram lovers gathered onboard, cut a birthday cake, and held small cultural programmes, blending nostalgia with advocacy.The highlight of Monday's observance was tram car number 498, a wooden-bodied carriage built at the Nonapukur workshop during World War II. According to tram chronicler Sagnik Gupta, the car was constructed under extraordinary circumstances. "With Japanese air raids targeting the then British city and strict deadlines from the Calcutta Tramways Company headquarters in London, workers built these L-Class trams at night by candlelight," Gupta said.