Kolkata needs trams, not battery-run buses

When the West Bengal government decided to drastically scale back Kolkata's 150-year-old tram service, leaving just a short heritage stretch from Maidan to Esplanade, it ignited a wave of protests from environmentalists and tram enthusiasts alike.

- SOVINIMONDAL AND SANJIBPOHIT

The official reasoning – low speed and road congestion – fails to hold up under academic scrutiny.

Trams, with their speed averaging 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, match the pace of most public transport in the city, including buses.

On busy roads, where traffic flow is already slow, why single out trams as the root cause for congestion?

A closer look reveals that the real bottlenecks are caused by smaller vehicles such as auto-rickshaws and private cars, which clog lanes designated for trams, slowing their operations.

About autos, the less said the better.

They are a law unto themselves, following minimal traffic rules and the traffic police has little power to discipline them.

No doubt, the autos, charging higher fares for shorter distances and accommodating only three to five passengers at a time, are less efficient and more expensive than trams, which can carry 200-300 passengers per trip at far lower costs.

Rational commuters, if given a choice, would likely opt for trams – more spacious, economical, and practical for urban mobility.

Worldwide, trams are witnessing a big comeback given the multiple advantages of the same vis-à-vis other modes of public transport.

Beyond addressing these misconceptions, the debate over trams opens a broader conversation about sustainability in urban transportation.