The last tram outpost

Last week i spent some time in that city
which still has trams running as a regular mode of transport...

Kolkatta

crisscrossing the city i remembered Istanbul
Kolkatta has almost the same variety of travel options for the tourists
rickety buses
a metro with 80's style bogies
river ferries
cycle rickshaws
hand drawn rickshaws
and the trams

yes those rickety things that lumber along
and you can actually catch up on
your morning paper (twice over)
or catch up on your sleep




i encountered so many streets in the city like this one
where one could see
different technologies transporting
the people to their destinations

i think the tourism people here
should seriously consider
making a day tour schedule of the city's landmarks
using different modes of transport

after all many tourists
use Palace on Wheels to travel in Rajasthan
in the case of Kolkatta
this kind of a day tour would appeal to
the back packer tourist

a real sastaa way to see the city....

riding up the tünel ın Istanbul

went for an trip to Taksim Square
on the tünel
actually a single bogey tramlike contraption
which runs underground
from Karaköy to Tünel Square

the ride was hardly five minutes
the train literally creaked
as it climbed up the hill

no wonder
it is desctribed as a
''railway in the form of an escalator''
this supposed to be the second oldest form of underground transport
after the London Underground

after i had wandered around a bit
i decided walk down to the hotel
when i caught sight of this cute lookıng tram
what a ride !!
the system is slow but works fine
since the streets designated for the tram
rarely have cars

with shops lined up on both sides
you can window shop as you
move along


it must be fun growing up
in this city
that is if your parents let you ride these things alone...

metro vs tram

just got back from cal (or kol)
the only city that has a metro and trams
those rickety train like things that travel at a slow pace

for years people in cal have resisted
efforts to take the tram system apart
i always had conflicting views on it
when i traveled the roads
as the trams shuffled between the traffic of cal
a pattern, a sea of people and vehicles
jousting, making their way
sometimes i felt we would never negotiate
this traffic jam
slowly the wave would move forward
clear the crossing

am not talking about nostalgia
world over very few cities stil use trams
san fransisco
melbourne
and these are becoming tourist landmarks

in India till the 60s delhi had a tram system
and bombay had one
till they were dismantled
by the town planners

i hear that the cal metro
will also go through a revamp
a new set of coaches and an extension
hope that happens soon

there will be one more reason to visit the city