Kolkata tram users’ body demands restoration of services
The Hindu
‘Only three routes are in operation at the moment and none of them offer a reliable service’
An association of tram users in Kolkata is planning to hold a protest this weekend to demand mainly the restoration of services that were stopped after cyclone Amphan and that have remained suspended ever since.
“Calcutta tramways is experiencing a stepmotherly attitude from the Transport Department since the Left Front regime. They have worked hard to reduce the ridership, service frequency and reliability. As a result, the system is currently existing only on paper. Only three routes are in operation at the moment and none of them offer a reliable service. Routes have been shut down one after another, under one pretext or the other,” Debasish Bhattacharyya, a retired scientist and president of Calcutta Tramways Users’ Association, told The Hindu.
Everyone talks about the Airport Metro, but one look at the pillars and completion seems nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, a faster, cheaper, roomier alternative called the Suburban Rail Airport Corridor is finally getting off the drawing board. This dedicated corridor with its specialised coaches will link the airport to vast stretches of Bengaluru, where the metro connection is still years away.