Kolkata's 150-year-old tram service may finally receive its obituary notice.

Kolkata’s 150-year-old tram service may finally receive its obituary notice. This heritage stretch of Kolkata which connects Maidan to Esplanade might lose the landmark, most coming into the MBMC area. One of Kolkata’s most important and oldest components of public transport is slated for total discontinuation. Of late, the tram has found it tough to match up with the fast pace in which the city of Kolkata has become urbanized and the resultant jump in transport requirements. While all of the routes in most cases are supposed to cancel out the other, the heritage route from Maidan to Esplanade will remain, thus giving a glimpse into the history of the city.

Challenges Kolkata’s Tram System Faces and The End of an Era

The oldest running tram service in Asia was inaugurated in Kolkata in 1873. For decades, trams proved to be a slow yet quintessentially eco-friendly and scenic mode of crossing crowded streets of this great city. Modern forms of transportation and increased motorized traffic have seen the once-popular service lose its footing. Traditionally used as the primary mode of transport over time has reduced trams to being something nostalgic, not very efficient in dealing with the growing population of Kolkata.

One of the biggest issues against the tram network is its archaic infrastructure. Small sizes of the tracks, very old tramcars, and low speed make the tram pretty incapable of competing with buses, taxis, and the Metro. At present, the modernization in Kolkata makes the tram system pretty unworthy of racing with the fast-moving urban environment. Traffic congestion and flyover and Metro construction further restricted tram operations in Kolkata.

Heritage Stretch: A Legacy of Kolkata’s Past to be Preserved

Though most of the tram routes remain shut, the city has chosen to preserve the heritage stretch from Maidan to Esplanade. It may not be one too long a route, but it is still an important one that tells the story of a very rich past of Kolkata. This is where a practical mode of transport will carve out a space as a part of Kolkata’s colonial past for residents and visitors alike.

It passes through some of the city’s iconic landmarks from heritage trams that run from Maidan to Esplanade. There is lush greenery in Maidan, there is the Victoria Memorial, and the buzz around Esplanade. Heritage here is not just a mode of transport but also a reminder that there is a unique identity of this city. One gesture which epitomizes the city’s gesture in keeping the old world of a modernized infrastructure.

The End of Eco-Friendly Transportation

One of the most significant and devastating losses that Kolkata will suffer from regarding almost all the tram routes being canceled would be its impact on the environment. Trams have generally been attributed to their eco-friendliness. Drawing electricity instead of letting out any dangerous pollutants, trams were always a green means of public transport. Hailing ways aside from trams could increase the carbon footprint left in the city.

Kolkata is growing. Greener modes of transport call for expedition as the city provides shelter to more residents. Since the tram system is one of the best examples of minimal environmental impacts, it should have been a trend for urban sustainable transport. However, the city has introduced discontinuance. This means that the city prefers more ‘modern’ and quicker means of transport despite all the adverse environmental effects.

Citizens’ Reaction: Saying Goodbye to a Showpiece Icon

For residents of Kolkata, tram is a sort of emotional fodder. Many have grown up with the rumbled tram swinging through the city’s streets. The system closely reflects Kolkata’s identity, and transit for many is a daily commute. As that daily commute service might fade into history, many citizens express their sadness and nostalgia for the process.

Tributes to the trams are abundant on social media platforms and local forums as people describe their fond memories of taking the trams. Tourists have also been drawn for a long time with the excitement of just wandering around the city, cruettling along old-world charm, moving at a leisurely pace through the historic streets. Many people view the declaration of discontinuing the tram service as the end of an era-the closure of a chapter in Kolkata’s storied past.

. #### Modernization: A Step Needed for the Future?

Though much criticism has been heard against the decision of removing most tram routes, others believe that this is necessary for the future of the city. Kolkata is sprawling at rapid rates; therefore, efficient and fast public transport becomes an urgency in such a scenario. The need could be to transfer from age-old options to changing towards modern ones like an extension of the Metro network and improving bus service.

The government has justified this by stating that the trams actually create traffic jam when they are circulating, besides investing a lot of money in the old and worn-out system. All this money saved could be used for the betterment of other parts of the public transport network of the city. Critics say that progress should not come at the cost of losing something unique in the heritage of the city.

Conclusion: Balancing Heritage and Progress

The trams have been an integral factor in the history and personality of Kolkata. While the city is progressing toward its modernization plans, the shut down of most of the tram routes is a bittersweet moment for many. While the heritage stretch from Maidan to Esplanade will remain, the city will bid adieu to a loved icon that is over 150 years old.

The increasing cities of Kolkata always make the choice of preserving the heritage stretch challenging in terms of requiring a balance between the need for progress and the requirement of heritage preservation. Overall, modernization might be allowed to evolve while being able to conserve the historic past that Kolkata holds onto. In this challenge, as it looks into the future, this will be of great importance for the city of Kolkata, which navigates these changes while remaining true to its charm and uniqueness that defines the count of India’s most iconic cities.