Trams may ply from Howrah Bridge-Rajabazar route soon

Kolkata: West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) is likely to start Tram services in the Howrah Bridge- Rajabazar route in the first week of July.

According to sources, lots of tracks were damaged by trees and overhead wire system got badly damaged due to cyclone Amphan that hit West Bengal on May 20. The WBTC engineers are working overnight to restore the tram tracks.

The tram services were suspended for 81 days due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, tram services on the Tollygunge-Ballygunge route were thrown open to the public on June 14.

Trams on the Tollygunge-Ballygunge route are now available from 7 am to 8 pm and the same will be available at an interval of 40 minutes. While the WBTC is earning around Rs 10,000 by selling tickets daily, the average daily cost will be around Rs 1 lakh which include electricity, maintenance of the trams and salaries of the employees. 35 trams used to run on seven routes in the city during the pre lockdown days. In 2015, 127 trams used to run on 56 routes.