Subhechcha Ganguly 
The West Bengal government has announced its plans to discontinue Kolkata’s 150-year-old tram service, except for a single heritage route between Maidan and Esplanade, according to Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty. This decision has sparked protests from tram enthusiasts, who are determined to oppose the move. Kolkata remains the only city in India where trams are still operational.
Chakraborty explained that the trams, which move slowly, contribute to traffic congestion during peak hours, prompting the decision to replace them with faster modes of transportation. He acknowledged the historical importance of trams, introduced as horse-drawn carriages in 1873, but noted that Kolkata’s limited road space—only 6% of the city’s surface area—cannot accommodate both trams and the growing number of vehicles without creating further congestion.
The decision is also tied to a legal case currently under review by the Calcutta High Court. In December of last year, the court proposed a public-private partnership (PPP) model to revive and maintain the tram system.
Chakraborty emphasized that the move to phase out trams is intended to ease traffic during rush hours, while highlighting the government’s efforts to promote electric vehicles to reduce pollution. In response, the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CUTA) announced plans to protest at five tram depots across the city. Tram supporters argue that trams are not as slow as claimed, with average speeds between 20-30 km/h, similar to that of automobiles in Kolkata. They also suggested that regular maintenance of the unused tramcars would improve the fleet’s efficiency. Environmental activist Somendra Mohan Ghosh criticized the decision, arguing that road widening and the removal of encroachments would be more effective solutions to ease congestion.
CUTA has launched a hashtag campaign to save Kolkata’s trams and plans to intensify its protests in the coming days.
