Overview
- The Calcutta Tram Users Association operated the World War II–era Geetanjali on February 24 from Gariahat to Shyambazar via Esplanade to mark the network’s 153rd anniversary.
- Built at the Nonapukur workshop during wartime blackouts, the wooden-bodied tram ended commercial service in the 1980s, was declared a heritage car in 2014, and is housed at Nonapukur for hire.
- Kolkata’s tramway has contracted from about 37 lines in the 1960s to only two operational routes today: Gariahat–Esplanade and Esplanade–Shyambazar.
- Transport officials, including Minister Snehasis Chakraborty, cite road space under eight percent, slow speeds and traffic impacts as reasons for curtailing routes, with a proposed Maidan heritage corridor pending before the High Court.
- Tram enthusiasts argue much of the infrastructure remains usable and present trams as a low-emission option, saying the commemorative run has renewed public interest in reinstatement.