Thread by @_CTUA_

#CalcuttaTramways - Historical Timeline
▪️1873
24th Feb
Horse Trams introduced as meter gauge, closure in the same year.
~
▪️1880
1st Nov
Services restarts, Final opening of horse tram as a permanent system.
20th Dec
Calcutta Tramways Company was Registered in London.

▪️1881
Esplanade terminus & Kalighat depot opened.
Routes opened -▪️Dalhousie Square - Lalbazar - Bowbazar - Lebutala - Sealdah Station.
▪️Esplanade - Lalbazar - Companybagan - Shobhabazar - Kumortuli.
▪️Esplanade - Planetarium - Hazra Park - Kalighat was commissioned.

1882
▪️Tram service expanded to High Court terminus & Nimtala .
Dalhousie Square - Metcalfe Hall - High Court. (Later Rt 14 extension)
Metcalfe Hall - Howrah Bridge - Nimtala .Horse was imported from Kabul , Afghanistan to run trams but many horses died due to hot humidweather

1883:▪️Steam Tram Era started
Esplanade - Race course - Wattgunge - Kidderpore.
Kidderpore Depot Opened, Route 36 introduced

1884
▪️Wellington Square - Park Street. (Later Rt 21, 22 after extension)

1900
Nimtala - Companybagan (non-revenue service only) started.

1900:Electrification & conversion to standard gauge was started. Power taken from own power station at Nonapukur.

1902
Kidderpore & Kalighat routes were electrified. Shobhabazar - Hatibagan. (Later Rt 9, 10)
Electrification Started
Nonapukur Workshop opened with Royd Street.

1903- 1905
Shyambazar terminus, Belgatchia Depot was commissioned introducing Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 11
Kalighat - Tollygunge.
Tollygunge Depot is Opened introducing Routes 29, 32

Kumortuli - Bagbazar. Kumortuli terminus closed, Extended upto Bagbazar (Later Rt 7, 8).

1905-1927 All the remaining routes were opened and electrified.
1908 : Howrah station- Ghasbagan - Bandhanghat- Shibpur route started.
1910: Rajabazar depot was opened
1927:Race course terminus built for race special tram service
.
@CESCLimited started giving power to CTC .

1928 -1970
Kalighat Junction - Ballygunge. (Later Rt 24, 27 extension)
5th Oct, 1970 :Howrah Station - Ghasbagan - Bandhaghat closed, Ghasbagan depot became a goods vehicle stock depot. Howrah station was only remaining in service.

© Souvik Mukherjee (about Howrah trams)

1970-72
These trams could move bothways!
They used to mainly run in the Howrah Section of Tramways.
Well this part of Tramways is now history,as the Howrah section was closed way back in 1972,with closure of Shibpur-Bandhaghat-Ghasbagan section.
©Ray Marsh & Souvik Mukherjee

1971: New Behala terminal was built .
1971- onwards some of the routes were closed i.e Shibpur,Nimtala .
1976: Howrah station terminal was redesigned and same year Race course terminus was closed!
Hardest phase of Calcutta Tramways

1976-2021
Calcutta Tramways saw an evolution and we hope we can save this system and help in developing by Modernization as well preserving history!

Some of the statistics you can see and help us in joining the force to Save this Heritage , Urban mobility.

Calcutta Tramways in 2021.

Its September, 2021 these routes are actively in service:
Route 5: Shyambazar to Esplanade (via Wellington Junction)
Route 25: Gariahat to Esplanade
Route 24/29: Ballygunge to Tollygunge.

@_sabanaqvi @AmberMDarr @ngtweets1969 @ErikSolheim
#Trams

The CTUA is keen to see the return of the remaining routes like 1, 17, 18, 29, 36, etc which were temporarily suspended previously.

A nicely compiled video shot and presented by CTUA's @archive_kolkata throughout this year shows the Trams in action..

#Kolkata
@MasalaBai