Save Trams in Kolkata Kolkata and Trams have a long history together starting from the british era. It had become a part of our cultural heritage but now days due to various reasons trams are being neglected.

2.  The Calcutta Tramway Co. Ltd was formed
and registered in London on 22 December.
Metre-gauge horse-drawn tram tracks were
laid from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat via
Bowbazar Street, Dalhousie Square and Strand
Road.

5.  1902
 The first electric tramcar in Asia ran from Esplanade to Kidderpore on 27 March, and
on 14 June from Esplanade to Kalighat.
 1903
 The Kalighat line was extended to Tollygunje, the Esplanade line to Belgachhia (via
Bidhan Sarani, Shyambazar), and the Esplanade to Shialdaha route (via Binay Badal
Dinesh Bag, Rajib Gandhi Sarani and [present] Mahatma Gandhi Road) opened.
 1904
 Esplanade to Bagbazar route through College Street opened.
 1905
 Howrah Station to Bandhaghat route was opened to trams in June. Electrification
project completed.
 1906
 Bowbazar Junction to Binay Badal Dinesh Bag, Ahiritola Junction to Hatibagan
Junction routes opened.

6.  1908
 Lines to Shibpur via G.T. Road prepared. Esplanade to Shialdaha station via Moula Ali Junction,
Moula Ali Junction to Nonapukur, Wattganj Junction to J.Das Park Junction (via Alipur), Mominpur
Junction to Behala routes opened.
 1910
 Shialdaha Station to Rajabazar route opened.
 1915
 Mirzapur Junction to Bowbazar Junction and Shialdaha Station to Lebutala Junction routes opened.
 1920
 Strand Road Junction to High Court route opened.
 1923
 S.C.Mallik Square Junction to Park Circus route (via Royd Street, Nonapukur) opened.
 1925
 Barhabazar Junction to Nimtala route opened.
 1928
 Kalighat to Baliganj route opened.

7.  1930
 Park Circus line extended to Garhiahat Junction.
 1941
 Rajabazar line extended to Galiff Street.
 1943
 The Calcutta system was connected with the Howrah section through the new Howrah Bridge in February.
With this extension, the total track length reached 42.0 miles (67.59 km).
 1951
 The government of West Bengal entered into an agreement with the Calcutta Tramways Company, and the
Calcutta Tramways Act of 1951 was enacted. The government assumed all rights regarding the Tramways, and
reserved the right to purchase the system (with two years' notice) on 1st January 1972 or any time thereafter.
 1967
 The Government of West Bengal passed the Calcutta Tramways Company (Taking Over of Management)
Act and assumed management on 19 July. On 8 November 1976 the Calcutta Tramways (Acquisition of
Undertaking) ordinance was promulgated, under which the company (and its assets) united with the
government.
 1970
 The Howrah sections were closed in October; the 1971/1973 Nimtala route was closed down in May 1973,
and realignment of the Howrah Station terminus occurred. Total track length was now reduced to 38 miles
(61.2 km).

8.  1980
 Tram tracks on Bentinck Street and Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay Road closed for
construction of the Kolkata metro; following construction, these stretches were not
reopened. Overhead wires were present until 1994 on Bentinck Street. Tracks on
Jawaharlal Nehru Road remained after realignment, making a new terminus at Birla
Planetarium; the Birla Planetarium route closed in 1991. An overpass was constructed on
that road in 2006.
 1982
 The Sealdah Station terminus (along with the Sealdaha - Lebutala stretch on Bipin
Bihari Gangopadhyay Street) closed for construction of an overpass. The site is now
occupied by Sealdah Court and a bus terminal.
 1985
 On 17 April, tracks were extended connecting Manicktola to Ultadanga via Manicktola
Main road and C. I. T. Road 3.7 km (2.30 mi). This was the first Tramways extension
since 1947.
 1986
 On 31 December, further extension of tram tracks from Behala to Joka was completed.

9. CTC Buses were well known in
Kolkata for not abiding to traffic
Norms and misbehavior with
People and other car drivers.

10.  1993
 Howrah Station terminus closed and tram tracks removed on Howrah Bridge; the
cantilever bridge proved too weak for trams. All routes terminated there were
shortened to the Barhabazar (Howrah Bridge) terminus (formerly Barhabazar Junction).
 1995
 High Court terminus closed for reconstruction of Strand Road. Rails and wires were
removed from there and from Strand Road, Hare Street and Shahid Kshudiram Basu
Road. The site is now occupied by the newest building of the Kolkata High Court.
 2004
 Garhiahat Depot - Garhiahat Junction link on Gariahat Road closed for construction
of the Gariahat overpass.
 2006
 Mominpur - Behala stretch on Diamond Harbour Road closed for construction of an
overpass at Taratala. Initially, there was a plan to route tracks on that overpass after its
completion, but the road was later converted to a National Highway and the plan
dismissed. The Behala - Joka stretch is still in existence, along with the Behala terminus.

11.  2007
 Wattgunge Junction - Mominpur Diamond Harbour Road, Mominpur - Jatin Das Park
Judges Court Road, Jatin Das Park - Kalighat Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, Kalighat -
Ballygunge Station Rash Behari Avenue and Kalighat - Tollygunge S. P. Mukherjee
Road, Deshapran Sashmal Road routes closed for reconstruction. As of early 2011, they
have not yet reopened.
 2008
 Galiff Street terminus realigned. Irregular service from Bagbazar to Galiff Street
converted to regular by Route 7/12. Rails and wires removed from part of Bidhan
Sarani route (restored by end of year).
 Kolkata is the only Indian city with trams.
 2009
 Tracks on R. G. Kar Road from Shyambazar five-point crossing to Belgatchia tram
depot closed down for reconstruction. As of early 2011, they are not yet restored.

19.  Metro Rail requires about a 1000 times more
cost than a Tram Rail infrastructure. Imagine
Kolkata and suburbs fully connected by tram at
the cost of a single metro track. This is where
our tax money goes.
 Metro Rail requires very high maintenance
costs and this means metro fares will be high as
well. Are people willing to pay so much?
 Metro is highly unsafe and dangerous during
rain, earthquakes and fire incidents.

21.  Its CHEAP.
 Free of Pollution
 Least accident prone mode of transport.
 Ease of mind. No ticket lines.
 Monthly passes available. Not possible for BUSES.
 Easy to get up and down. In METROS lot of time is wasted
in walking stairs, ticket lines and security check in and out.
 Can be used by ALL AGES. People Carrying childrens in
prams cannot use METROS or BUSES. Also old people
cannot walk stairs in METROS. Trams are best suited for
this.
 Not all people have a hurry in going to places. But do buses
and metros really save that much time and money?

22.  In many cities around the world, like VIENNA, MINSK,
BRUSSELS, RIO DE JANEIRO, SOFIA, TORONTO, DALIAN,
HONGKONG, PRAGUE, HELSINKI, MARSELLIE, BERLIN,
MUNICH, NUREMBERG, BUDAPEST, MILAN, NAPLES,
ROME, SAPPORO, TOKYO, MEXICO CITY, AMSTERDAM,
ROTTERDAM, OSLO, WARSAW, LISBON, BUCHAREST,
CHELYABINSK, KAZAN, KRASNOYARK, MOSCOW,
NIZHNI-NOVGOROD, NOVOSIBIRSK, SAINT
PETERSBERG, YEKATERINBURG, BARCELONA,
STOCKHOLM, DNIPROPETROVSK, KHARKIV, KIEV,
PHILADELPHIA, SANFRANSISCO, TASHKENT etc. is running
tram continuously over hundred year. All these cities also have
metro. Both systems are integrated, and peoples easily switch
from one to another. You know that all these cities are much
advanced, rich and fast than KOLKATA, but they didn’t closed
tram network, or fully replaced by metro.

24.  Some cities like BUENOS AIRES, SHANGHAI, TIANJIN,
LYON, PARIS, ATHENS, PYONGYANG, BILBAO, MADRID,
VALENCIA, LAUSANNE, ISTANBUL, LONDON etc. once have
a good tram network, but they closed foolishly during sixties for
thinking that metro will solve all problems, but despite all these
cities has a good metro network, they again returned tram after
late eighties, and now tram of these cities are acting as a feeder
service of metro. You also know that all these cities are also much
advanced, rich and fast than KOLKATA, but they have returned
tram, despite they have sufficient metro.
Beside those cities, some cities like ALGIERS, BRASILIA,
HAMBURG, DELHI, MUMBAI, ALMATY, DUBAI etc. which
once closed their network, or earlier only had metro, they are
constructing or planning new tramway network. You also know
that all these cities are also much advanced, rich and fast than
KOLKATA, but they are returning tram, because they are not
satisfied with metro.