The West Bengal government’s plan to discontinue the iconic tram in Kolkata has filled the people with nostalgia as the 150-year-old rail network has been an integral part of the city’s charm and heritage for over a century.
The tram would be discontinued for most of the routes except a single heritage route would continue between Maidan and Esplanade.
Though there is a plan to discontinue tramways, the State Transport Minister Snehashish Chakraborty said “there is no date fixed to do so”.
ALSO READ | No Fixed Date To Discontinue Trams In Kolkata, Says Bengal Transport Minister As Decision Sparks Row
Trams, first started in Kolkata as horse-drawn carriages in 1873, have undoubtedly been a part of Kolkata’s heritage and played a crucial role in transportation in the previous century.
Later big metro cities under the British rule like Delhi, Bombay and Chennai also had the tramways as modes of transport.
The transport system was also brought in smaller cities like Nasik, Patna and Bhavnagar. While the other cities did away with trams, they remained operational in Kolkata.
With the latest announcement, the ‘Lifeline of Kolkata’ is set to become a thing of the past. But here are some of the ways in which the traditional, yet iconic, mode of transport could be put to use:
Restaurants
The idea of converting carriages into tram-themed restaurants is not new. Earlier in 2022, a tram restaurant was set up in Kolkata’s Eco Park, where the 20-seater-eatery served street foods ranging from ‘pav bhaji’ and ‘chhole bhature’ to ‘chaats’ and ‘rolls’, according to The Indian Express.
The restaurant, developed by Newtown Kolkata Development Authority, offers its visitors a nostalgic trip along with desi cuisine. The restaurant at Eco Park is not alone.
The trams have also inspired other restaurant ideas like the Tram World Cafe, where an old tram depot in Gariahat has been repurposed into a cafe conserving the rich heritage. The eatery has preserved the tram equipment dating back to 1925 and old tram cars put on display from the early 1900s.
The rise of tram-themed cafes and restaurants could inspire the development of more such concepts centered around trams and their infrastructure.
Bookstore
The city can remodel trams into libraries, an idea that has already been put into practice in the past. In 2020, Kolkata launched the library on wheels from Esplanade to Shyambazar, one of the oldest tram routes in the city.
The air-conditioned trams had a 32-seater library for bibliophiles with a range of collection, including competitive examination books. The concept of a library on wheels can be put to use to employ the old trams, which would relate to a lot of younger generation while preserving the history of the rail network.
Tram Museum
One way to preserve trams after they are removed from tracks is by converting them into museums, an idea which has already been put into practice in Melbourne and Brussels.
The Melbourne Tram Museum hosts 20-30 different wagons, which have been preserved and exhibited to show vintage wagons and the stories behind the mode of transport. The museum exists on what used to be once Hawthorn tram depot and was shut in 1965.
Similarly, the Brussels Tram Museum offers visitors a vast collection of vehicles that once used to run in the streets spanning over a century. The museum also used to be a tram depot and is now a historical monument hosting about 30 trams. Kolkata can have a similar museum which can showcase the history of the tram spanning for one and a half centuries.
Photoshoots
Though the idea may seem a bit unconventional for a tram, photographers have recently used a range of offbeat locations like monuments and antique places for photoshoots, including weddings. A tram-inspired wedding photoshoot wouldn’t be out of the question.