On this day, the first tram car started its journey on Kolkata’s streets. It was a horse-drawn car that ran a distance of 3.9km from Sealdah station to Armenian Ghat.
The service was withdrawn the same year.
In November 1880, metre-gauge horse-drawn trams began to operate on the Sealdah-Bowbazar-Dalhousie-Armenian Ghat route. At that time, the service was run by the Kolkata Tramways Company, registered in London.
Steam engine trams were introduced in 1882. By 1900, electric trams had arrived on Kolkata’s streets.
Trams remained a lifeline for the city till the 1960s, after which their steady decline, due to various reasons, often made authorities think of them as a liability. Now efforts are being made to revive trams.
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