The tram, one of the most enduring symbols of Kolkata, has been dying a slow death for some years now. Its old world charm and comparatively slow speed of travelling is fast losing appeal and relevance in modern life, and what was once one of the most popular modes of commuting has over time been reduced to a vehicle for nostalgic indulgence only. In an attempt to keep alive the heritage value of the tram, the transport department has come up with a unique initiative to transform a tram car into a moving restaurant. The Victoria Tramcar Restaurant, which was inaugurated on October 13, is the first of its kind in Kolkata, the only city with an operating tram network in the country.
"The craze for the heritage tram was dwindling, but as Bengalis we did not want this to end. The Calcutta Tram Company (CTC) and the West Bengal Transport Corporation tried to implement certain measures to revive the interest in trams, but it did not work out. So we came up with this idea of converting one of the modern trams into a restaurant,” said Sanjiv Goswani, director of the Victoria Group of restaurants that will be running the tramcar restaurant.
This unique 27-seater restaurant takes its customers through the greenest and most beautiful parts of the city in its journey from Shahid Minar in central Kolkata to Kidderpore, the dock area, and back. It makes four trips a day, each trip lasting around two hours. The Victoria Tramcar Restaurant was launched just a few days before the Durga Puja vacation and, in keeping wiith the occasion, served exclusively Bengali cuisine. “We will be launching different kinds of menus–continental, Indian, Chinese and so on after the Durga Pujas. Each day the menu will be different so people will not get bored with the cuisine,”said Goswani.
The Victoria Group bagged the project through the established process of legal tendering. The company pays a monthly amount to the CTC, which provides the tram, the drivers and does the maintenance work. The Victoria Group is in charge of the food, catering and management.
Since 1902, when electric trams replaced horse-drawn trams on the streets of Kolkata, the tram has become an integral part of the cityscape. Even when it is facing obsolescence in this new age, many, including the younger generation, find it difficult to conceive of a time when there will be no trams in the city. However, according to a report, since 2011 the number of tram routes have come down from 37 to just eight; and the number of daily users, which in 2011 was 75,000, is barely 15,000 today. "The tram is one of the few unique aspects of Kolkata. It is the only mode of public transport that is environment friendly. Besides, it is one of the main modes of transport in places like Holland, Austria, Japan. It will be a shame if trams are closed down in Kolkata," said Meenakshi Banerjee, for whom trams have been the preferred mode of transport for the last 50 years.
According to those working in the surface transport industry, such initiatives of transforming a tram into a restaurant may be of novelty value, but they are not enough to save the Calcutta Tramways Company, which is heading inexorably towards closure. According to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the labour wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the need of the hour is to “modernise and explore newer possibilities to keep this symbol of Calcutta alive”. “There is a well-thought-out plan to close down trams and privatise the surface transport sector. We have repeatedly demanded that the existing infrastructure of the tramway system needs to be not just protected but also modernised. The speed of the trams can be improved, and in many places trolly-buses that run on electricity can also be introduced. If the government wishes, such things can be done to save one of the most treasured heritages of Kolkata, but it is too busy spending money on festivals,” said Debanjan Chakrabarti, secretary, West Bengal State committee of the CITU.
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