Kolkata Transportation Thread - (Surface/Water only)

[Tintin27]

If only transport authorities realise that kolkata has still got such a nice tram network which can be greatly modernised and act as a light rail connectivity to existing and prposed metro lines!! They have concretised the lines already, but no tram stations where ppl can embark/disembark.. Else it could be a great transit systems working on similar mode as BRTS that are being proposed in various indian cities now.

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by Tintin27

If only transport authorities realise that kolkata has still got such a nice tram network which can be greatly modernised and act as a light rail connectivity to existing and prposed metro lines!! They have concretised the lines already, but no tram stations where ppl can embark/disembark.. Else it could be a great transit systems working on similar mode as BRTS that are being proposed in various indian cities now.

After visiting Melbourne, I love tram. Melbourne tramway system looks so similar to Kolkata tram. I heard that they were constructed/maintained by same British company.

Thanks to HRBC. They are doing a great job by converting with concrete route and modern ware-heads. Now, they need to replace those bloody wooden trams. Signalling systems should also be modernized. Btw, a small tram rides with "Lokkhichara".

[Suncity]

photo copyright Aravind Nambiar

[downunder1]

If Kolkata can manage to replace the old trams with these new ones, it would be a great achievement. Obviously Kolkata will have a long way to go if they ever think of replacing the trams with those of the European ones, but at least these home built trams are looking really nice and cute and clean. I am also hoping the comforts inside these new trams must have been improved compared to the older ones.

[Kewl Batty]

Originally Posted by Suncity

photo copyright Aravind Nambiar

Good and clean looking trams!
Hope they dont make it dusty or untidy soon!

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by Suncity

photo copyright Aravind Nambiar

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1039/kolkatatramaravindnambiqd4.jpg

Best new tram photo so far..

[IndialloveJapan4ever]

Originally Posted by Kewl Batty

Good and clean looking trams!
Hope they dont make it dusty or untidy soon!

I'm confused is this the new Kolkata trams? If they are they look so european undoubtly a foreigner would get confused whether these are indian or european. Unfortunately the only thing that gives it away are the not so attractive headlights. (Maybe should've made it LED headlights)

[kolkatausa]

I agree with you. rear lights suck

[yudhacalmum]

the whole idea about having trams is pointless
if they want to preserve the raj heritage and nostalgia
they should allow trams to ply only in the bbd-bagh and north calcutta areas
only recently they concretised the tracks at ballygunge-gariahat more
i mean whats the point
the city has the LOWEST road to land surface ratio among all the major metros
the roads in Calcutta are wide but if u only take the trams away
especially in south calcutta
the way the city going ahead it wants to bring the people from the distant suburbs into the city quickly thats good
but what about the white collar workforce who use the road to go to their offices
eg.-it takes 40 mins from my house near golf club to park street(9 kms)
whereas in bombay it take 25 from lokhandawala to santa cruz (10 kms and double the traffic)

point no.2 -there are so many means of public transport available-
Auto rickshaws
Hordes of Taxis
Mini buses/ Private buses and the state ones
Metro
Cycle/hand pulled rickshaws for short distances

so what is the use for trams!!!!
just imagine we don't have to make flyover like mumbai,chennai,bangalore or delhi but just demolish a few tracks

[arijeetb]

Originally Posted by yudhacalmum

the whole idea about having trams is pointless
if they want to preserve the raj heritage and nostalgia
they should allow trams to ply only in the bbd-bagh and north calcutta areas
only recently they concretised the tracks at ballygunge-gariahat more
i mean whats the point
the city has the LOWEST road to land surface ratio among all the major metros
the roads in Calcutta are wide but if u only take the trams away
especially in south calcutta
the way the city going ahead it wants to bring the people from the distant suburbs into the city quickly thats good
but what about the white collar workforce who use the road to go to their offices
eg.-it takes 40 mins from my house near golf club to park street(9 kms)
whereas in bombay it take 25 from lokhandawala to santa cruz (10 kms and double the traffic)

point no.2 -there are so many means of public transport available-
Auto rickshaws
Hordes of Taxis
Mini buses/ Private buses and the state ones
Metro
Cycle/hand pulled rickshaws for short distances

so what is the use for trams!!!!
just imagine we don't have to make flyover like mumbai,chennai,bangalore or delhi but just demolish a few tracks

Concretizing tram tracks adds almost 1.5-2 lanes in the middle of existing roads. A section has already been concretized and if we add another 20-30 km of concrete tracks it can lead to increase in road space ..for example it is equivalent to having multiple flyovers equalling 20-30km of additional road space. I understand that having flyovers is a challenge where we have tram tracks but in Kolkata it does not make sense to have a flyover over one junction and not having on the rest. It will only take the congestion from one junction to the next. What is however good for Kolkata over the long run is the proposed elevated ring road.


I am personally okay with trams sharing road space in Kolkata just like in most European cities. Regarding speed of traffic movement, I have not experienced Mumbai but I can safely say that it is quicker to travel 20km in Kolkata than 20 km in Bangalore.

[Suncity]

Two Trams

video by arayvikrampuri

[yudhacalmum]

nice where's this
they can do away with the cheap lighting at the entrances though

seriously man
saw such kind of cheap lights at chandernagore strand as well in frot of the grand colonial french buildings when i happened to visit last year
they should improve their sense abt all this

[arijeetb]

does anyone know how many of these trams are plying on the roads today?

[IndiansUnite]

hkskyline has started a new thread on Kolkata's trams in the Int. subways and urban transportation subforum:

Kolkata's Vintage Trams



I've put in a request to rename the thread to simply "Kolkata's trams" to make it our official Kolkata tram thread for the international audience.

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by arijeetb

does anyone know how many of these trams are plying on the roads today?

2 to 4 right now. There is a news that CTC is making 10-15 such trams.

Originally Posted by IndiansUnite

hkskyline has started a new thread on Kolkata's trams in the Int. subways and urban transportation subforum:

Kolkata's Vintage Trams



I've put in a request to rename the thread to simply "Kolkata's trams" to make it our official Kolkata tram thread for the international audience.

[IndiansUnite]

The name of that thread has been changed to Kolkata's trams.

[Suncity]

The 'second class' compartment of the old trams - no fans

photo copyright pawan



New tram

photo copyright shabbirakhtar



Old Tram

photo copyright Frank

[SarafIndian]

Not directly related to railway. There is no seperate Kolkata BRTS thread till now. So posting here.

State plans BRTS in new avatar

Swati Sengupta | TNN

Kolkata: The state government’s ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) plan is now ready in a new avatar. After being turned down by the Centre for containing several flaws, the proposal has now been remodelled and the first phase of the facility to run between Ultadanga and Garia Station Road for 15.5 km is now ready to be cleared by Delhi.
Bengal Urban Infrastructure Development Pvt Ltd, a joint sector company formed with the state government, has prepared the new model of BRTS, a high-quality transit system that delivers fast, comfortable and low-cost transport. An improvement from the regular bus service, BRTS is affordable and fast due to dedicated tracks.
The project, which will cost a whopping Rs 300 crore, will pass through five flyovers — at Ultadanga, Parama Island, Ruby crossing, the EM Bypass-Prince Anwar Shah connector and the overbridge at Baghajatin railway station.
With the traffic count between Beliaghata and Science City at 7,000 PCU (passenger car unit), the BRTS will provide high-speed ride over this stretch without being hindered by the increasing traffic count along the EM Bypass. These buses will move at 60 kmph and stop only at their designated stops.
Among the changes made from the earlier plan, a second-tier flyover at Chingrihata over the existing one going towards Rajarhat has been dropped. Two service roads — one opposite ITC Sonar and another near the water bodies close to Chingrihata — have also been dropped.
There is also a plan to tie up with the railways, Metro and other transport organisations to integrate the network into BRTS, so that it might be possible for a person to purchase a single ticket and to travel the entire distance involving rides in BRTS, trains, trams, Metro and so on. The Centre had particularly stressed this integration plan.
The Kolkata BRTS bay would be based on the Pune model — towards the footpath. “If the bays are towards the divider, passengers can meet with accidents if they cross the road in a hurry,” said an official. In Ahmedabad and Delhi, the bays are towards the dividers.
The smart bus stops will be more of bus ‘stations’, with pre-boarding ticketing and comfortable waiting facilities for passengers. The multi-door buses will be on the same level of the bus stations to allow easy and comfortable boarding and alighting. The buses will look completely different — large, high-capacity and comfortable, said a senior official of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.
Service roads would be integrated with the main road and routine traffic would not be allowed to hinder the dedicated BRTS tracks. “BRTS will work in coordination with operators of smaller buses to create new feeder services to the bus stations,” an official added.
There will also be overpasses and signals showing when the next buses would arrive in the model of modern cities around the world.

Times of India

[Suncity]

A tram

photo copyright AshishT

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by Suncity

A tram

photo copyright AshishT

Thats a classic design tram. At least the front section looks cool. I guess this is a very old tram(well maintained). I have seen similar designed trams in Melbourn for their city circle free tourist service.