{"id":8882,"date":"2025-08-29T13:42:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/29\/tram-supporters-to-stage-protest-in-kolkata-against-phasing-out-150-year-old-service\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:42:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:42:08","slug":"tram-supporters-to-stage-protest-in-kolkata-against-phasing-out-150-year-old-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/29\/tram-supporters-to-stage-protest-in-kolkata-against-phasing-out-150-year-old-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Tram supporters to stage protest in Kolkata against phasing out 150-year-old service"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>Kolkata\u2019s dwindling tram network has sparked a fresh wave of discontent, with tram enthusiasts announcing a demonstration outside the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) headquarters on September 4. The protest, organised by the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA), aims to resist what they describe as a deliberate attempt by the state government to dismantle the city\u2019s 150-year-old tram system.<\/p>\n<p>The CTUA, which represents more than 500 members, will assemble at BBD Bagh at 2 pm, urging citizens to join while shouting slogans such as \u201cDon\u2019t take away trams from our roads\u201d and \u201cSave Trams\u201d. CTUA spokesperson Prasenjit Basak said the demonstration would be peaceful and open to all who view tramways as a vital part of Kolkata&#8217;s transport and heritage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also read |<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbctv18.com\/photos\/travel\/destinations\/in-pics-kolkata-in-west-bengal-will-soon-bid-adieu-to-iconic-150-year-old-tram-service-19484369.htm\"><span class=\"cf0\">In pics: Kolkata in West Bengal will soon bid adieu to iconic 150-year-old tram service<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nState Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty has defended the government&#8217;s decision, arguing that trams contribute to congestion and are incompatible with modern transport priorities. He has confirmed to the High Court that while some tramcars may be preserved for heritage value, their operational role in the city will continue to shrink.<\/p>\n<p>Introduced in 1873 as horse-drawn carriages, Kolkata\u2019s tramways made history in 1902 as Asia\u2019s first electric tramcar service. For decades, they defined the city\u2019s identity and provided an eco-friendly commuting option. However, the network has suffered a steep decline: from 37 routes in 2011, to only two that remain today.<\/p>\n<p>Official records show that the tram lines have been reduced from 61 km in 2011 to just 12 km in 2022. Passenger numbers have also collapsed from over 70,000 daily commuters a decade ago to only a few thousand at present.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also read |\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbctv18.com\/travel\/destinations\/know-why-the-news-is-talking-about-tramjatra-in-kolkata-16061241.htm\"><span class=\"cf0\">Tramjatra in Kolkata: Celebrating 150 years of trams<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Despite this decline, supporters argue that trams remain an environmentally friendly and culturally significant mode of public transport. The upcoming protest reflects their determination to keep the city\u2019s historic carriages running, even as authorities push for more modern alternatives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"jsx-59014f905e7c97e3 content-info\">\n<p><span class=\"jsx-59014f905e7c97e3\">(Edited by : <!-- -->Jerome Anthony<!-- -->)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbctv18.com\/travel\/tram-supporters-to-stage-protest-in-kolkata-against-phasing-out-150-year-old-service-19661430.htm\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kolkata\u2019s dwindling tram network has sparked a fresh wave of discontent, with tram enthusiasts announcing a demonstration outside the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) headquarters on September 4. The protest, organised by the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA), aims to resist what they describe as a deliberate attempt by the state government to dismantle the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}