The current hand-wringing about the imminent demise of the tram system of Kolkata is rather belated. Kolkata’s trams have remained resolutely ramshackle despite cities all over the world using sleek, efficient ones. The largely unused tram lines around Kolkata are like Grand Canyons on the road—as dangerous to unwary pedestrians as rubber tyres of other modes of transport. And the unseemly overhead wires for the trams add to the general tangle of suspended cables.
The question that inevitably arises in the non-Kolkatan is: if that city’s residents loved it so much why let it become so decrepit? They keep the underground metro system in good spanking order, so why did they not demand that the city authorities provide that much-needed upgrade to the much older—“heritage”—tram system that came into being as horse-drawn bogies in 1873, moved onto even locomotives before being electrified in 1905 and expanding citywide?
Because Kolkatans like the air of declining grandeur, like the crumbling palaces of the glory days of British India when it was Calcutta? If there had been sustained public pressure, the city authorities would have been forced to upgrade trams. But then even Kolkata’s fleet of buses is not exactly modern either, so the question of public apathy comes to the fore again. The residents of Kolkata have been far too tolerant of substandard public transport—barring the subway system.
Curiously all the three British era “Presidency” cities—Calcutta, Bombay and Madras—introduced trams within a few years of each other. Even other cities like Delhi, Kanpur and Nashik also took the cue. All the others got rid of their trams over half a century ago; Calcutta morphed into Kolkata but still persisted with the tram system, albeit in a creaking, desultory way. Clearly Kolkatans felt that the tram system’s charm lay in its very decrepitude, like parts of the city itself.
Mamata Banerjee’s government evidently does not succumb to the trams’ rusty allure as she has axed the entire system. Whether the decision was based on reasons other than the temptations of the vast, well-located real estate of the tramways that may be thus freed for ‘redevelopment’ is moot, though. After all, many cities are rethinking tram options. Buenos Aires for example had a vast network which was gradually wound down but is now being resurrected.
The thousands of Indians who visit cities in Europe are inevitably amazed at their picturesque yet highly efficient tram systems. Having just returned from Budapest and Vienna—which both have modern, efficient tram systems—I find Kolkata’s decision to terminate them even more inexcusable. In Helsinki, Bucharest, Berlin, Milan and countless other cities, trams are well-maintained and intrinsic parts of public transport systems. The US has trams, as do countries in all continents.
Even China (West Bengal’s political inspiration for decades, till 2011) has modern, bustling tram systems in over 20 cities including Beijing and Shanghai. And trams now have the added virtue of being one the “greenest” modes available for inner city mass transport. Which makes grimy, congested Kolkata’s decision even more illogical—but not unfathomable, the Calcutta Tramways Corporation (CTC) owns hefty acreage for a transport system declining for decades.
It built up a network between seven depots (Belgachhia, Rajabazar, Park Circus, Gariahat, Tollygunge, Kalighat and Khidirpur), had nine terminals and a workshop. But now CTC presents a dismal picture: of the original 116km of tram tracks only 33km have been used of late. From 25 routes still running in 2017, by 2024 there were only three. And only two of the bigger tram depots are functional now. That the tram system has been deliberately killed by neglect is evident.
Some consider this decision to be just another example of the state government’s increasing disregard for popular opinion. The widespread and sustained RG Kar protests after a young doctor’s rape-murder came as a nasty surprise and got the usually intransigent state government to listen to the people’s angst regarding safety and corruption. Will that “success” give Kolkata’s tram lovers the required gumption to fight to bring them back from the brink of extinction too?
In response to a PIL in June 2023, the Calcutta High Court had ordered the state government not to sell off CTC assets but appoint an expert committee on how to save it. Clearly that panel did not do much to convince the relevant functionaries as the state government announced the shutting of tramlines anyway, except the short one from Esplanade to Maidan—no doubt to continue the nostalgia fix for Calcuttans and Kolkatans, like a toy train does in an amusement park.
The astonishing excuse is that trams cause traffic jams and accidents. Even if these charges are partly true, much of the blame can be laid at the door of outdated design, both of carriages and tracks. Even after India finally moved beyond antediluvian Fiats and Ambassadors to Marutis and more from the 1980s, and more recently, Vande Bharat upgraded train design, why did Kolkata’s tram bosses not wake up from the socialist stupor and go in for a makeover?
There were plenty of examples to copy (an art that Indians have mastered) from tram systems abroad in case innovation was too expensive. Yet Kolkata’s tram bosses apparently decided against any upgrades. How could ramshackle trams be expected to survive when most Indians’ design aesthetics and expectations are changing fast? Aerodynamic trams are obviously possible. Tram tracks that do not raddle streets are also possible. Why was a change in mindset impossible?
Or is this indeed not about the viability of trams at all, as many suspect? The “redevelopment” of prime land in the coveted Alipore area after the jail was moved out of its British Raj-era premises has whetted many appetites. The CTC had already leased out “unutilised land” at various depots to other entities and with the system formally shutting down, the sale of these prime plots is inevitable. Social media is agog with conspiracy theories but that will not be a deterrent.
Kolkata had a chance to stand out among Indian metros by reviving a precious legacy as tram systems worldwide are trendy again. Even if some sections are eyeing the real estate opportunities, a visionary leadership could have attempted to balance the competing imperatives and modernised the tram system. Instead, there will be no visible impact on traffic jams and accident rates (the ostensible excuse) but a definite increase in congestion as vacant plots will be built up.
Kolkatans must call time on their legendary tolerance now. They have already spurred action against corruption and lack of safety, which had flourished because citizens did not protest long and loudly enough, for whatever reason. With the Supreme Court monitoring progress on investigations into various crimes with RG Kar Medical College as the hub, there is hope for justice. Standing up for the greenest transport service in a congested city is also another good fight.
The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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