End Of An Era: 150-Year-Old Tram Service In Kolkata Discontinues (image-twitter/neha__says)
The West Bengal government has decided to discontinue service of the Kolkata’s iconic trams on all routes. Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty stated that commuters required faster modes of transport and trams often caused congestion on roads due to their slow speed.
The historic trams which were introduced in 1873 were a symbol of the city’s heritage and charm.
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The 150-year-old tram which was considered the lifeline for the people of Kolkata was first introduced at the time of Britishers and was later adopted by cities like Patna, Chennai, Nasik, and Mumbai.
Several commuters responding to the transport minister’s remark said that trans could not be blamed for traffic in the city.
One of them while speaking to ANI said, “In Kolkata, jams occur at every corner. There are so many vehicles, and the road conditions are still the same. There are no new roads. Even in the by-pass there are traffic jams, so trams cannot be blamed for traffic congestion”.
They further added that it should not be discontinued as it is a lifeline to many of the people in Kolkata. “Now the inflation has risen. Tickets in the bus and travelling by taxi are more costly than travelling by tram,” a commuter said.
Udit Ranjan Gupta of the Calcutta Tram Users’ Association (CUTA) pointed out that trams were an essential part of Kolkata’s heritage and the suspension of their services would be a major setback.
Trans conductor Manas Das also said that the government could resolve the issue by continuing tram services as a heritage transport mode as people have clamored for its continuation.
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Tram was first started in Kolkata as horse-drawn cars, which were rolled on tracks on February 24, 1873. Later when steam engines were introduced in 1882, the first electricity-powered trams were introduced in 1900. After almost 113 years, AC trams rolled on tracks from 2013 onwards.
