City marks 153 years of tram services with century old wooden rake run

Kolkata: A Second World War-era wooden tram ran from Gariahat to Shyambazar on Tuesday to mark 153 years of the city’s tram services, with supporters renewing their demand for restoration and expansion of the shrinking network.

The commemorative service began at 9.30 am from Gariahat Tram Depot, reached Esplanade at 11 am and departed for Shyambazar. Organised by the Calcutta Tram Users Association, led by Debashish Bhattacharya, the run drew a lot of tram enthusiasts.

Inside car number 498, association members interacted with guests and underprivileged children. Tiffin was distributed, postcards were circulated to gather public opinion and calendars were distributed and sold. The tram reached Shyambazar around 11.30 am, where a cake was cut in front of the vehicle.

Kolkata’s tram services began on February 24, 1873, with horse-drawn cars operating between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat. Electric trams were introduced on March 27, 1902, on the Dharmatala–Kidderpore route. In 2011, trams operated on 37 routes across the city; at present, only two routes remain functional — Gariahat–Esplanade and Esplanade–Shyambazar. The future of the tram network is under judicial consideration.

The heritage tram used for Tuesday’s run, nearly a century old, is preserved at the Nonapukur tram depot for most of the year.

Association representatives said over one lakh vehicles were registered in the city in 2025, taking the total to more than 23 lakh. They argued that expanding the electric tram system could help curb rising air pollution and urged the state government to modernise and restore services instead of phasing them out.