Asia’s oldest tram network is facing extinction as authorities in India plan to replace the service with metro and road infrastructure, which they say will ease congestion. But campaigners point to the environmental benefits of trams and are attempting to resist the move.
The Kolkata Tram System has served the capital of West Bengal since 1873, making it the second-oldest tram operation in the world after Turin. It has gone through horse-drawn and steam-powered iterations and was electrified as early as 1902. The trams are beloved of many public transport users in the city and even as far away as Melbourne, Australia, which shares a cultural celebration of trams with Kolkata, uniting tram lovers or “gunzels” through the joint Tramjatra Festival.
The Beauty of Route 36 of Kolkata Tram. Sadly this route is still closed due to WB Government negligence. pic.twitter.com/CKMVRdqmo2
— Vaibhav Nama (@VaibhavNam63318) January 6, 2026
Kolkata received a C40 Cities “Green Mobility” award in 2019 for electric bus development, and Mayor Firhad Hakim promised at the time that trams were integral to Kolkata’s 2030 all-electric city transport strategy. However, the iconic tram network has been deprioritised under a West Bengal government project that has seen the system shrink from 340 trams in its heyday to just two lines and a fleet of 10. Officials have said they intend to keep just one heritage tram running, for nostalgia trips.
Still, tram enthusiasts are fighting to prevent the decline of their beloved network and keep its clickety-clack and ding-ding among the sounds of the cityscape. Though depots and tramcars have been decommissioned and lines have been covered by the bitumen of new roads, a court order to prevent those works was issued nearly a year ago.
The West Bengal Transport Department has initiated construction of a concrete bus shelter on the tram tracks at Curzon Park. The loop at Curzon Park was reconstructed in 2021 to restore the tram movement between Khidirpur and Esplanade. The dismantling coincided with Kolkata's… pic.twitter.com/kdCAKmxUrF
— The West Bengal Index (@TheBengalIndex) November 24, 2025
Ruling against the destruction of lines last year, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam said the trams were part of the city’s heritage and noted that Kolkata appeared to be going against a tide of public opinion and environmental evidence that has helped to re-establish tram networks around the world, in some cases running down the middle of roads.
Melbourne’s network operates 100% offset by renewable energy. From Manchester to Montpellier, and Salvador to Sichuan, trams are growing, and some argue they are needed more than anywhere else in Kolkata, where University of Chicago research has found residents suffer higher exposure to vehicular air pollution than any other Indian city. High numbers of inhabitants live near major roads, which have seen an “exponential increase” in vehicles. The study showed the city’s annual registration of four-wheelers surged fivefold between 2016 and 2024, and two-wheelers more than doubled in the same period.
@masoom.realtor Kolkata's tram system is India's only operating tram network, a historic, eco-friendly mode of transport since 1873, offering nostalgic rides through the city's old streets on routes like those connecting Esplanade, Shyambazar, and Howrah Bridge, though the West Bengal government plans to reduce commercial routes to a heritage stretch, keeping it alive as a unique cultural experience #heritage #india #kolkata ♬ Funny Song – Sounds Reel
Against that backdrop, the campaign to save the city’s trams continues and is supported by friends in the Melbourne contingent, as the Kolkata Tram Users Association pursues further legal action against the closure, due to be heard in court soon.
