Calcutta Tramways Company

The Calcutta Tramways Company (1978) Limited (CTC) is a West Bengal, India, government-run company which runs trams in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) and buses in and around Kolkata. The Kolkata tram is the oldest operating electric tram in Asia, running since 1902,^[2] and currently the only tramway in India.^[3]

Timeline

Horse-drawn trams in Kolkata, India (life-size model at City Centre arcade)

;

• 1873: An attempt was made to run a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) tramway service between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street on 24 February. The service was not adequately patronised, and was discontinued on 20 Nov.;^[1]
• 1880: The Calcutta Tramway Co. Ltd was formed and registered in London on 22 December. Metre-gauge horse-drawn tram tracks were laid from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat via Bowbazar Street, Dalhousie Square and Strand Road. The route was inaugurated by the Viceroy, Lord Ripon, on 1 November.;^[1] *1882: Steam locomotives were deployed experimentally to haul tram cars. By the end of the nineteenth century the company owned 166 tram cars, 1000 horses, seven steam locomotives and 19 miles of tram tracks.;^[1]
• 1900: Electrification of the tramway, and reconstruction of tracks to 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) was begun.;^[1]
• 1902: The first electric tramcar in Asia ran from Esplanade to Kidderpore on 27 March, and on 14 June from Esplanade to Kalighat.
• 1903: The Kalighat line was extended to Tollygunge, the Esplanade line to Belgachia (via Bidhan Sarani, Shyambazar), and the Esplanade to Sealdah route (via Binay Badal Dinesh Bag, Rajib Gandhi Sarani and [present] Mahatma Gandhi Road) opened.
• 1904: Esplanade to Bagbazar route through College Street opened.
• 1905: Howrah Station to Bandhaghat route was opened to trams in June. Electrification project completed.;^[1]
• 1906: Bowbazar Junction to Binay Badal Dinesh Bag, Ahiritola Junction to Hatibagan Junction routes opened.
• 1908: Lines to Shibpur via G.T. Road prepared. Esplanade to Sealdah station via Moula Ali Junction, Moula Ali Junction to Nonapukur, Wattganj Junction to Jatin Das Park Junction (via Alipur), Mominpur Junction to Behala routes opened.
• 1910: Sealdah Station to Rajabazar route opened.
• 1915: Mirzapur Junction to Bowbazar Junction and Sealdah Station to Lebutala Junction routes opened.
• 1920: Strand Road Junction to High Court route opened.
• 1923: S.C.Mallik Square Junction to Park Circus route (via Royd Street, Nonapukur) opened.
• 1928: Kalighat to Ballygunge route opened.
• 1930: Park Circus line extended to Garhiahat Junction.
• 1941: Rajabazar line extended to Galiff Street.
• 1943: The Calcutta system was well connected with the Howrah section through the new Howrah Bridge in February. With this extension, the total track length reached 42.0 miles (67.59 km).;^[1]
• 1951: The government of West Bengal entered into an agreement with the Calcutta Tramways Company, and the Calcutta Tramways Act of 1951 was enacted. The government assumed all rights regarding the Tramways, and reserved the right to purchase the system (with two years' notice) on 1 January 1972 or any time thereafter.;^[1]
• 1967: The Government of West Bengal passed the Calcutta Tramways Company (Taking Over of Management) Act and assumed management on 19 July. On 8 November 1976 the Calcutta Tramways (Acquisition of Undertaking) ordinance was promulgated, under which the company (and its assets) united with the government.;^[1]
• 1970: The Howrah sections were closed in October; the 1971/1973 Nimtala route was closed down in May 1973, and realignment of the Howrah Station terminus occurred. Total track length was now reduced to 38 miles (61.2 km).;^[1] 1980 :Tram tracks on Bentinck Street and Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay Road closed for construction of the Kolkata metro; following construction, these stretches were not reopened. Overhead wires were present until 1994 on Bentinck Street. Tracks on Jawaharlal Nehru Road remained after realignment, making a new terminus at Birla Planetarium; the Birla Planetarium route closed in 1991. An overpass was constructed on that road in 2006.
• 1982: The Sealdah Station terminus (along with the Sealdah – Lebutala stretch on Bipin Bihari Ganguli Street) closed for construction of an overpass. The site is now occupied by Sealdah Court and a bus terminal.
• 1985: On 17 April, tracks were extended connecting Maniktala to Ultadanga via Maniktala Main road and C. I. T. Road 3.7 km (2.30 mi). This was the first Tramways extension since 1947.;^[1]
• 1986: On 31 December, further extension of tram tracks from Behala to Joka was completed.;^[1]
• 1992: Calcutta Tramways Company undertook a new venture by introducing bus service from 4 November, initially with a fleet of 40 buses.;^[1]
• 1993: Howrah Station terminus closed and tram tracks removed on Howrah Bridge; the cantilever bridge proved too weak for trams. All routes terminated there were shortened to the Burrabazar (Howrah Bridge) terminus (formerly Burrabazar Junction).
• 1995: High Court terminus closed for reconstruction of Strand Road. Rails and wires were removed from there and from Strand Road, Hare Street and Shahid Khudiram Basu Road. The site is now occupied by the newest building of the Kolkata High Court.
• 2004: Garhiahat Depot – Garhiahat Junction link on Gariahat Road closed for construction of the Gariahat overpass.
• 2006: Mominpur – Behala stretch on Diamond Harbour Road closed for construction of an overpass at Taratala. Initially, there was a plan to route tracks on that overpass after its completion, but the road was later converted to a National Highway and the plan dismissed. Until 2012, the Behala – Joka stretch was still in existence, along with the Behala terminus.
• 2007: Wattgunge Junction – Mominpur Diamond Harbour Road, Mominpur – Jatin Das Park Judges Court Road, Jatin Das Park – Kalighat Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road routes closed for reconstruction. As of October 2011, they have not yet reopened.
• 2008: Galiff Street terminus realigned. Irregular service from Bagbazar to Galiff Street converted to regular by Route 7/12. Rails and wires removed from part of Bidhan Sarani route (restored by end of year).
• 2009: Tracks on R. G. Kar Road from Shyambazar five-point crossing to Belgachia tram depot closed down for reconstruction. As of early 2011, they are not yet restored. Now it was reopened.
• 2011: Joka-Behala stretch and Behala depot closed down for construction of the Joka-BBD Bag metro project;Ballygunge-Kalighat stretch closed for reconstruction.Lalbazar-Mirjapur down line was closed but up line still opened.
• 2015: Park Circus depot closed down for construction of the Park Circus Flyover & Nonapukur Depot was reopened. But Garhiahat Depot was still now opened.
• 2016: Gariahat section has been reopened after 12 years. The tram depot next to the Gariahat Mall is now operational.

Kolkata tram

The Calcutta Tramways Company (1978) Ltd has run the Kolkata tram, currently the oldest electric tramway in Asia as well as India's only tram system, since 1880.

Buses operated by CTC

The Calcutta Tramways Company (1978) Ltd started its bus service in November 1992. Since the introduction of the first CTC buses, the network has expanded rapidly. With over 40 routes throughout Kolkata and surrounding areas, its serves the area well and complements its tram service.

The initial bus service was introduced from Rajabazar with a fleet of 40 buses, augmented in 1993 with service from Kidderpore depot. The Tollygunge and Belgatchia depots were added in 1994 and 1995, respectively. In 2005, the CTC began bus service from Ghasbagan depot at Howrah.

Bus Depo List

• Barasat (BS)
• Belgachia (BL)
• Ghasbagan (GB)
• Habra (HB)
• Kidderpore (KP)
• Park Circus (PC)
• Rajabazar (RB)
• Tollygunge (TG)
• Panihati

CTC bus lines

• C1A Sealdah – Danesh Shekh Lane
• C2A Tollygunge – Ghatakpukur
• C7 Howrah Station – Harimohan Ghosh College
• C8 Barasat - Joka
• C8A Tollygunge – Airport Gate No.1
• C11 B.B.D. Bagh – Domjur
• C11/1 Howrah Station – Munshirhat
• C14/1 Tollygunge – Madhyamgram
• C20 Esplanade – Santragachi Station
• C23 Park Circus – Dankuni Housing Estate
• C24 Ghasbagan – Sealdah
• C25 Howrah Station – Salt Lake Bikash Bhawan
• C26 Howrah Station – Baruipur
• C26/1 Howrah Station – Kamalgazi
• C27 Nabanna / Esplanade – Barasat University
• C28 Barrackpur - Howrah Station
• C29 Habra – Barrackpur Court
• C30 Rajabazar – Sankrail
• C36 Rajabazar – Hanshkhali Pole
• C37 Howrah Station – Amtala
• C42 Howrah Station – Ganganagar
• C43 Habra – Garia Bus Stand
• D1 Tollygunge – Chakdaha
• D2 Habra – Naihati
• D7 Naihati – Bongaon
• D8 Barasat – Baduria
• D11 Esplanade – Baduria
• E6 Esplanade – Amta
• E7 Esplanade – Bagnan
• E7/1 Esplanade – Shyampur
• E12 Esplanade – Udaynarayanpur
• E13 Esplanade – Jangipara via Domjur
• E13/1 Esplanade – Jangipara via Jagadishpur
• E14 Rajabazar – Furfura Shariff
• E15 Esplanade – Gadiara
• E17 Barasat – Digha
• E18 Esplanade – Dhamakhali
• E19 Habra – Digha
• E20 Habra – Durgapur
• E25 Esplanade – Habra via Nagarukhra
• E33 Habra – Furfura Shariff
• E36 Santragachi/Nabanna – Habra
• E38 Esplanade – Mayapur
• E41 Habra – Asansol
• M2 Tollygunge – Birati
• T1 Dhulagarh – Rajabazar
• T2 B.B.D. Bagh – Mandirtala
• T3 Rajabazar – Ghatakpukur
• T5 Rajabazar – Bhangor
• T8 B.B.D. Bagh – Tikiapara
• T10 Rajabazar – Chaital Ghat
• T10/1 Rajabazar – Bhebia
• T11 Esplanade – Haroa
• T12 Howrah Station – Chaital Ghat
• ORD1 Howrah Station – Amtala
• ORD2 Howrah Station – Joka
• NB1 Sealdah – Nabanna
• NB2 B.B.D. Bagh – Nabanna
• ACT1 Esplanade – Santragachi Station
• ACT2 Park Circus - Dankuni Housing Estate
• ACT3 Barasat – Santragachi
• ACT4 Barasat – Salt Lake Karunamoyee
• ACT4 Airport – Salt Lake Karunamoyee
• ACT5(Volvo) Barasat – Digha via Esplanade
• ACT8(Volvo) Habra – Digha
• ACT9(Volvo) Salt Lake Karunamoyee – Digha
• ACT10(Volvo) Barasat – Asansol

See also

• Trams in India
• Kolkata metro
• Kolkata suburban railway
• Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation
• Calcutta State Transport Corporation
• West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation
• South Bengal State Transport Corporation
• List of bus route in kolkata

References

• Niyogi, S. Shake, rattle & roll. The Sunday Story, Sunday Times of India, Kolkata, 25 June 2006. Available on Times of India e-paper (paid subscription required as of 2010).
• Pathak Pratap Shankar, The Sunday Story, Sunday Times of India, Kolkata

External links

• Official site
• Department of Transport from the Government of West Bengal website

Tramways in India
Current	Trams in Kolkata
Defunct	Cochin State Forest Tramway Mumbai tram
Companies	Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC)