Transition: Calcutta: The world's oldest tram runs to the last station!

Lalit Khambhayata

There are many means of transport in our metropolis including Kal train, metro train, taxi, rickshaw, bike, city bus… Calcutta (or Calcutta) is unique in that it also has trams. Of course, the tram is now a guest for a few days. As the trams create traffic on the roads of Calcutta, the government has decided to put brakes on them permanently. But a minute! What is a tram? Fifty years ago, till the 1970s, trams were also running in Gujarat. Now that there is no transport option like tram, it seems a new wonder today. A bus has a road to run, a train has a track to run, but the track is laid on a part of the road and a box like a bus is called a tram! The history of trams goes back a little over two centuries. In 1804, horse drawn trams started on the road in England. Calcutta was the headquarters during the British rule in India. Here also the idea of ​​starting a tram for the transportation of people came up. So the first tram service started in February 1873. The distance was barely four kilometers, with horses not engines to drive. Even so, it was the official start of tram service in India. The funny thing is that the tram is still running today. Even more interestingly, it is the oldest operating tram service in the entire world (the second oldest operating tram is in Melbourne, Australia, which has been running since 1885). But what is not fun is that the Bengal government has now decided to stop the trams permanently. The tram was running just enough to walk. In the 1970s, 52 routes were running. When the current Trinamool government took over in 2011, trams were running on 37 different routes. In 2017, it fell to 17 routes and now runs on just two routes as the stock market rumbles. This is to be closed shortly. The length of the track was also above 100 kms now it has been increased from 14 kms. At one time 275 trams (550 coaches) carried an average of seven and a half lakh passengers a day. Today the daily users of the tram are not more than 15 thousand. That figure is negligible for a metropolis like Calcutta which has crossed the crore population. There was fierce opposition to the government's decision to stop trams. So the matter reached the court before the government decided the date that it will be closed from this day. Now the court will say whether to stop the tram or not, if so when? What is the objection to trams? The same objection to trams in Calcutta as in all cities across the country, lack of space on the road. Six percent of Calcutta's total land is covered by roads. In between, tram tracks are laid on some roads. When there is no tram, all the vehicles cross the tracks and leave, but when the tram is passing, the road remains blocked. Also, the average speed of a tram is not more than 30 kmph. Therefore, even if an old woman walks slowly on the road, it will be difficult for the pedestrians of the fast age. Trams running in Calcutta have two coaches. Width seven feet, length 70 feet and weight twenty tons. It is not wrong that trams cause problems on the road due to width and length. 60-65 passengers can sit in two coaches on the opposite side. So it is also true that there are less drivers on the road. Tagadhinna of Trams Calcutta is the last city in India where trams operate. Amidst the talk of preserving the heritage, the tram is going to the last station to be closed. On the other hand, trams are making a comeback in the metropolises of the world. Many countries have reintroduced trams in the 21st century. Over time it has been changed to electric. In Melbourne, it also runs on solar power. Carbon dioxide in the air is a major cause of pollution, global warming etc. Transportation is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Therefore, the whole world is promoting carbon-free transport. Tram plays an important role in it. Calcutta Tram itself has won the Green Mobility Award at the Environment Summit in Copenhagen in 2019. Trams are currently running in 403 cities in 62 countries of the world, the total network of tracks is more than 18 thousand kilometers long. Many of these trams are in different European countries. It's no wonder that trams work well in cities with low populations, limited distances and up-to-date public transport facilities. Sydney in Australia, Helsinki in Finland have re-established tram networks. Hong Kong has rickety trams running through the narrow streets. Trams can run well there too, but instead of trams, the authorities have opted for the BRTS system, which is heavy on traffic, not on time and less accessible. For BRTS, half of the road remains blocked, which is not the case with trams. Anyone can use that road when the tram passes, BRTS road cannot be used by other vehicles. Bump in the tram road There are many obstacles in the tram road. The tram competes with faster vehicles, which it always lags behind. If people have their own cars, instead of riding in the tram, they should pass by stopping the tram way. On the other hand, the metropolis of Calcutta is growing by day as much as by night and by night as much as by day. Slow trams do not reach everywhere. Also, the government has not increased the number of tram tracks, it has reduced them. Therefore, the government was thinking about stopping the trams. Even today, a large section of people in Calcutta are fans of trams. He does not choose other vehicles until he finds a tram. Trams ply along the route of some schools, cinemas and hospitals. That's why some people have been using it continuously. Over time the form of trams changed, the interior was made attractive, the exterior was also made more colorful, even though AC trams were introduced on some routes, the user base of trams did not increase to any extent. It is also because the government cannot run the trams for a long time. However, the government is also not interested. That is why tram routes have been reduced but their stations have not been built. Trams stand in the middle of the road and passengers get on or off the tram keeping themselves safe from the traffic in the middle of the road. This situation has been going on for many years. Bengali people are known for their love of identity. Trams are also part of the identity. So Calcutta has 'Tram Users Association'. Many of them believe that the government makes excuses for not running trams. Several pressures on the road go on, but the trams are not allowed to run. In fact it should be nominated for UNESCO heritage. Started in the 19th century, continues into the 21st century. So the tram is embedded in Calcutta's culture. He has appeared in stories and also played a role in films. Thus the tram is the cultural heritage of Calcutta. There is a running joke in Calcutta that if a historical object is to be saved, its connection must be traced either to Rabindra Babu or to Satyajit Rai. The crowd of Calcutta who went to court against stopping the tram knows the joke! }