u/EmotionalHearing9410

This World Environment Day, CTUA and Tram Jatra are organizing a special tram ride to celebrate green mobility and raise awareness about sustainable urban transportation.

📅 Date: 5 June 2026 (Friday)
🕗 Entry Time: Between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM
📍 Boarding Location: Gariahat Tram Depot, Kolkata

🚋 Route:
Gariahat Tram Depot → Esplanade → Shyambazar Tram Depot

Join fellow tram enthusiasts, environmentalists, photographers, and citizens as we ride through Kolkata's historic tram corridors and celebrate one of the city's most iconic eco-friendly transport systems.

​

Why the Kalighat–Ballygunge Tram Service Matters for Kolkata

The Kalighat–Ballygunge tram route isn’t just a stretch of track. It’s a lifeline we can revive right now, and here’s why it’s important:

1. Heritage Alive, Not in Museums

Kolkata is the only Indian city still running trams. Kalighat Depot has been silent for 7 years. Restarting this route brings our moving heritage back to the streets instead of leaving it as nostalgia. We preserve culture by using it.

2. Real Commuter Relief

This route connects Kalighat Temple, Rashbihari Avenue, Gariahat, and Ballygunge. Thousands travel this corridor daily for work, school, markets, and pilgrimage. Trams give people a cheap, reliable, all-weather option that doesn’t get stuck like buses in narrow lanes.

3. Zero-Emission Transport on World Environment Day

5th June is World Environment Day. What better way to celebrate than by running electric, non-polluting trams? Every tram trip means fewer autos and cars, less smoke, less noise, and cleaner air for South Kolkata.

4. Depot Revival Means Jobs & Maintenance

An active Kalighat Depot means work for motormen, conductors, and maintenance staff. It keeps the dry dock, loop line, and tram skills alive. Kill the route and you kill the ecosystem that supports all trams.

5. It’s Doable Today

We don’t need new tracks or years of planning. The infrastructure exists. With 3 trams and a cleared loop line, we can run service within a week. This is the fastest, most practical tram revival Kolkata can get.

6. Symbol for the Whole Network

If Kalighat–Ballygunge runs, it proves trams aren’t dead. It builds public support to repair and reopen Tollygunge, Kidderpore, and other routes. One active route gives hope to the entire system.

This isn’t about the past. It’s about giving Kolkata a clean, affordable, iconic transport option right now.

Ministers, WBTC: Resume Kalighat–Ballygunge tram service by 5th June.

#BringBackKolkataTrams #KalighatBallygungeTram #SaveKolkataTrams

Hey, I’m just a small member of this group and I don’t know how much reach this will get, but this is about the revival of trams in Kolkata.

After 2017, around 35 tram routes that once existed across Kolkata have slowly been shut down thanks to TMC, and now only 2 tram routes are still running:

• Route 25 — Gariahat to Esplanade
• Route 5 — Esplanade to Shyambazar

And honestly, it hurts to see this happen.

Kolkata trams are not just old vehicles running on tracks — they are the soul of the city. They are a living piece of history, an identity that made Kolkata different from every other city in India. Asia’s oldest electric tram system belonged to us, and instead of preserving and modernizing it, we are watching it disappear slowly.

Because of the policies and negligence under TMC, we have almost lost one of Kolkata’s greatest prides. While cities around the world are investing in eco-friendly public transport and restoring tram systems for tourism and sustainability, Kolkata is destroying something that people from outside the country came to witness and admire.

Trams are:
• Environment-friendly and pollution free
• Affordable public transport for common people
• A huge part of Kolkata’s heritage and tourism
• Symbolic of the city’s calm culture and old-world charm
• Important for reducing traffic and urban pollution in the future

Removing trams doesn’t make Kolkata modern — it makes Kolkata lose its identity.

If roads can be redesigned for cars, metros, and flyovers, they can also be redesigned to preserve trams. Modern tram systems exist successfully in Europe and many developed cities even today. So why not Kolkata?

It’s my humble request to everyone reading this — please repost, share, and talk about this issue for awareness. Even if this reaches a few people, it matters. We are trying to bring back the tram culture of Kolkata and save this heritage before it disappears forever.

Kolkata without trams will never feel like the Kolkata we grew up loving.