Tram users have demanded the restoration of six routes terminating at BBD Bag now that the construction of Mahakaran station of East-West Metro is over and the terminating point of the trams, adjoining Lal Dighi, is open to relaying of tracks.
The routes are: Shyambazar-BBD Bag, via College Street (route 2); Shyambazar-BBD Bag, via Grey Street (route 10); Galiff Street-BBD Bag (route 8); Rajabazar-BBD Bag (route 14); Ultadanga-BBD Bag (route 16); and Gariahat-BBD Bag, via Esplanade (route 25).
The 151-year-old Calcutta Tramways Company now runs the services on only three routes — Esplanade-Shyambazar, Gariahat-Esplanade and Ballygunge-Tollygunge.
The demand to revive the six tram routes comes a year after a division bench
of Calcutta High Court, headed by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, spoke about the need to preserve Calcutta’s trams.
“Worldwide, there are efforts to bring back trams. In Lahore, the government has approved the revival of trams. In a city like ours, where the vehicle count is growing by the day, trams remain the most energy-efficient and green mode of transportation,” said Debasish Bhattacharya, the president of the Calcutta Tram Users Association.
“How can the state government be reluctant to revive the tram routes? We would love to have the trams back.”
From 25 in 2015, the city has only three functional tram routes. Services on some of the routes were stopped as the tracks had been laid on bridges that have become structurally weak.
Work on East-West Metro has forced the closure of a few routes.
The Esplanade-Kidderpore route, much of which runs through the Maidan, has been closed since Cyclone Amphan struck in May 2020 and overhead electric cables snapped, said a senior official in the transport department.
Many tram users wondered why new tracks can’t be laid to revive the defunct routes now that Metro work around Lal Dighi in BBD Bag has ended. It’s been four years since Cyclone Amphan struck and there is still no serious effort to restore the Esplanade-Kidderpore route, the tram lovers said.
“The services on the route between Sealdah station and the approach to the Howrah bridge, via Mahatma Gandhi Road, were stopped in April 2021 because of the repair of the Brabourne Road flyover. The repairs ended after Durga Puja 2022 but the route is yet to be made functional,” said a tram user.
Senior transport department officials said their minister, Snehasis Chakraborty, has made it clear that the state government does not want to shut down trams. However, the feasibility of restoring some routes remains a question.
“The majority of the trams that would run between north Calcutta and BBD Bag moved through BB Ganguly Street. Cops have said the slow-moving trams would impede traffic on the busy road,” said a transport department official.
“We still run trams on Lenin Sarani despite strong objections. Talks are on regarding BB Ganguly Street. Hopefully, a solution will emerge.”
