The tram, which has been synonymous with Calcutta’s iconography, is all set to trundle to a halt in its 151st year of existence. The government of West Bengal recently announced that the city’s oldest streetcar service, which has been dying a slow death owing to neglect and the popularisation of modern, faster means of transport, will now run on a single stretch — down from 25 routes in 2015 — that will function as a decorated heritage transit point. This is in stark contrast to the state government’s earlier stance in which it stated its intent to revive trams in an affidavit to the Calcutta High Court last year. The government’s latest decision seems to be based on considerations like operational issues, mounting economic losses, the fleet’s outdated infrastructure, shrinking road space, and the rising number of cars. Further, the city fathers have argued that trams lead to traffic snarls, especially in northern parts of the city that have narrower roads, despite there being no credible study to show that trams cause traffic congestion. Unsurprisingly, the police are said to be disinclined towards the running of trams. The decision of the Calcutta High Court, which is hearing a batch of petitions on the matter, will have a profound impact on the future of trams.
The institutional and collective disenchantment towards Calcutta’s tram cars is strange. Calcutta, as is its wont often, seems to be swimming against the tide because around the world trams are being retrofitted and reintroduced as a clean, affordable means of public transportation. It must be noted that tram services are now resurgent in about 400 countries. Australia and Japan are relying on them to reduce their carbon footprint. Trackless trams have surged in popularity in China that has populous cities. The projection of trams as a relic or, at best, as a form of benign heritage on the part of authorities is unwarranted given the significant role of modern trams in addressing vehicular pollution in the 21st century. Calcutta has the highest vehicular density among India’s metropolises. It has also witnessed a sharp rise in the number of private vehicles: the number of registered cars went up from 21 lakh to 51 lakh between 2011 and 2022. Trams can not only help decongest transportation but are also an environmentally sound and affordable means of transport. Their minimal operational expenditure and long service life are other incentives. Modernising, instead of discontinuing, trams should be the way forward.