Give Kolkata back its tram, reiterate enthusiasts as they step up pressure on government

Kolkata tram enthusiasts fight to preserve iconic 151-year-old tramway against West Bengal government's closure plans.

A prominent body of tram enthusiasts in Kolkata on July 25 asked why the West Bengal government appeared bent on shutting down this environment-friendly mode of transport in spite of the Calcutta High Court directive that efforts be taken to preserve it.

“The high court formed an advisory committee on June 21, 2023, and asked that the committee should submit a report to the court as to how the tram services can be restored, maintained and preserved in the city of Kolkata. What did the government do? It ignored the recommendations of the Committee Members. It suspended meetings of the committee. And then reports came that trams should be shut down,” Mahadeb Shi, general secretary of CTUA, or Calcutta Tram Users’ Association, told a press conference.

Earlier this month, a report emerged that the State government was planning to shut down the 151-year-old tramway, except for preserving one route for the purpose of tourism; and considering that it did not deny the report, it is being assumed that the iconic Kolkata tram is soon going to say goodbye to the city and to India. July 25th’s press conference is the union’s first move against the possibility of the tram’s closure.

“Many cities in the world which had started tram services around the same time as us — 1873 — have progressively enhanced and modernised their tram infrastructure, such as Berlin, Melbourne, Hong Kong. Some other cities, like Sydney and London, have reopened their trams with contemporary infrastructure after they had been completely closed. But West Bengal appears set for an irrational decision to remove trams from the city rather than reopening the service, which had been suspended without any real cause,” Mr. Shi said.

Mr. Shi, a filmmaker, along with retired scientist Debasish Bhattacharyya, president of CTUA, are members of the court-appointed committee. They were both present at the press conference along with several well-known personalities from fields including politics, academics, and theatre.

“The transport department has completely ignored the guidelines issued by the high court in its order for ‘restoration, maintenance, and preservation’ of the tramways. The reasons forwarded by the department against tramways are completely imaginary, such as trams slowing down traffic,” Mr. Bhattacharyya said.

“The sale of team depot lands will be a disaster because once sold, you won’t get back the land. Moreover, heritage of the city is not confined to the Maidan (when the lone route might be preserved for tourism). The Kolkata tramway is a living industrial heritage eligible for UNESCO tag,” the CTUA president said.