March 2, 2019
State Govt unveils new AC trams
In a bid to promote usage of trams, an inherent part of Kolkata’s heritage, the State Transport Department recently launched two air-conditioned (AC) trams. Earlier, the department had built two AC trams for joyride – Charoibeti and Rupashi Bangla.
The routes for these new trams would be worked out soon, and the fare structure would also be different, said an official of the Transport Department.
Both the new ones are single-coach trams, with each having a seating capacity of 32. They have been built at the Nonapukur tram depot. Each of these is fitted with a 5.5 tonne AC, LED light bulbs and fans. The windows have curtains.
The trams have pneumatic doors that can be operated from the motorman’s (as the drivers are called) cabin. With a nod to tradition, the system of the conductor ringing a bell is still there.
