Enhancing tram connectivity in Indian cities will significantly put India on track to reduce dependence on private vehicles, decongest roads, and achieve better air quality
Currently, in 2023, only one Indian city, Kolkata (West Bengal’s capital), has a functional tram network. In its heyday, trams operated in some major cities of India—Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Chennai, which were the most important cities in their respective presidencies of British India. For a range of reasons, including low ridership, operating losses, and inefficient technology, trams were discontinued from Indian cities post-Independence. Even in Kolkata, the tram network has been registering regular losses over the past few decades, and, in recent times, the state government has embarked on an unsaid policy of operating trams in select routes for commercial transport purposes while pushing trams for limited heritage and tourism purposes. In India, the transport and road policy over the years has shifted to encourage private motorised vehicles, and trams have been characterised as slowing down traffic. At this juncture, will the tram in India be relegated to a nostalgic past in the iconic Hindi lyrics “Kahin building, kahin traame, kahi motor, kahi mill” sung by Mohammad Rafi? Or is there a viable case for trams in Indian cities in an era of Electric Vehicles (EV)-driven policies and commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable interventions in cities?
In India, the transport and road policy over the years has shifted to encourage private motorised vehicles, and trams have been characterised as slowing down traffic.
Most Indian cities are characterised by long traffic snarls, especially during office hours. According to a study, Indians lose up to two days per year in traffic congestion. This traffic scenario also has a detrimental impact on air quality, causing health hazards for all living beings in urban areas. The latest National Urban Transport Policy 2014 recognises the challenges of traffic congestion in Indian cities due to a massive increase in vehicles while road spaces remain largely the same. It highlights that the cost of transport has increased for poor people due to the shrinking spaces for non-motorised (NMT) modes of transport such as walking and cycling. The expansion of city limits has also made NMT unviable for many poor people in the cities. The policy report pushes for prioritising public transport as a sustainable mode of transport through a workable collaboration between the central government, state government/city development authority and the private sector. Despite such policy signals, there has not been a major overhaul of urban public transport in Indian cities. According to official estimates, the growth of registered two-wheelers and cars has increased by 164 percent and 192 percent, respectively, from 2001 to 2011. Such figures indicate that Indian cities have not been able to come up with a successful multimodal urban public transport system. As a growing economy, India is leveraging significant hopes on the performance of its urban centres and a reliable public transport system is a must for that.
The policy report pushes for prioritising public transport as a sustainable mode of transport through a workable collaboration between the central government, state government/city development authority and the private sector.
In recent times, multiple Indian cities have focused on examining the prospects of utilising tramways to tackle traffic snarls in the busy parts of the city. In Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has been exploring the possibilities of introducing trams in the office hub Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to ensure last-mile connectivity to the office district. In Delhi, the state government has been mulling over the idea of trackless trams to decongest the older parts of the city, including the areas around Chandni Chowk. The trackless trams will connect all the markets and heritage sites within the area (such as Jama Masjid and Red Fort) with the nearby bus and metro stations. Compared to track-tram, trackless trams are significantly cheaper to set up with less infrastructural investments. Multiple cities in China (Zhuzhou, Yibin) and Australia (Stirling) have adopted trackless trams and they can serve as role models for Indian cities. In Hyderabad, the urban and transport agencies are collectively exploring the feasibility of trams as a part of a multi-modal public transport system, which would include mobility and tourism corridors. A report on future modes of transport in Chandigarh suggests tramways as a mass transit option over metro rail.
At national and international platforms, India has made serious commitments to environmental sustainability and reduction of carbon emissions and, for that purpose, taking steps towards net-zero carbon cities by modernising the public transport system must be a primary focus area. Policy discourses at the national level recognise the need for viable and modernised urban public transport; however, at a local level, the apathy of governing agencies remains an issue, which is compounded by limited financial capabilities and a fragmented institutional framework.
Ideally, Kolkata could have shown the way for other Indian cities by being a successful role model for a functional tram network. Kolkata’s tram workers could have trained transport workers across India for tram operations. A consulting model for a feasibility study of tramways by West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC, which is responsible for managing Kolkata’s tram system) along the lines of consultancy projects carried out by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, would have reduced the dependence on foreign consultant groups hired to prepare tram-feasibility reports across Indian cities, while adding to the revenues of WBTC, which could have been utilised to modernise and expand Kolkata’s tram network. However, due to misguided policies and priorities, over the years, the tram has been neglected and, as a result, the tram routes have been reduced in Kolkata—from 37 in 2011 to three in 2023.
At national and international platforms, India has made serious commitments to environmental sustainability and reduction of carbon emissions and, for that purpose, taking steps towards net-zero carbon cities by modernising the public transport system must be a primary focus area.
The situation gave rise to concerns among a group of Kolkata’s citizens, who came together to form the Calcutta Tram User Association (CTUA) and started making demands for tram restoration on multiple public and social platforms while approaching the Calcutta High Court on multiple occasions to thwart the government’s efforts to scale down tram operations. Public conventions organised to demand tram restoration have drawn large crowds while bringing in intellectuals and politicians to support the cause. Persistent efforts by CTUA and other civil society organisations have been able to push the government to restore some of the tram routes. Broadly, public awareness and activism about the tram in Kolkata offers a pathway for citizens’ stakeholder engagement in India’s urban public transport.
The Government of India has been stressing on the implementation of policies to encourage and enforce electric vehicles on roads (such as the National Electric Mobility Mission, EV Policy). Enhancing tram connectivity in Indian cities will significantly put India on track to reduce dependence on private vehicles, decongest roads and achieve better air quality. Going by the suggestion of the National Urban Transport Policy 2014, lessons can be drawn from successful tram/trolley networks in cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, and San Francisco. Beyond the notions of heritage and nostalgia, trams can still play a crucial role in India’s urban story if strategised reasonably with the goals of affordable mobility, decarbonising transport and mass transit. The faded signs on Kolkata’s tram, “Ei gaari apnar. Doya kore jotno neen” (This car is yours. Please take care of it), still holds relevance for India’s urban public transport system if it were to be guided by the principles of equity and sustainability under the patronage of people and daily users.
Snehashish Mitra is a Fellow with the Urban Studies at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Snehashish was an Urban Studies Fellow at ORF Mumbai. His research focus is on issues of urban housing, environmental justice, borderlands and citizenship politics. He has ...
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