The Raj on the roads of Mumbai again
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Looks like Mumbai is all set to revive the Raj, or at least vestiges of it. It's the tram and it's making a comeback to Mumbai's roads, just as they were in the once glorious colonial era.
Though it's been more than half a century since the tram bid goodbye to its British heritage, old-timers still cling on nostalgically to their memories of the little road train. Mumbai is one grand old city that’s fiercely protective of its heritage status. The plan to revive the tram is being done with meticulous care by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). The tram service is being planned along the route from Kala Ghoda in South Mumbai to Electric House to be run on weekends and public holidays.
BEST had earlier planned to clean and polish up the old tram, preserve it as a heritage piece and keep it on public display at the Bhatia Baug near CSMT station. But when reviving the service seemed to be the better option, BEST took up the idea and went ahead with the new plan.
The idea was first mooted by BEST committee member Anil Shah who spoke to Union Transport Minister Nithin Ghadkari about it. The minister took a very positive stand on it and said the tram could be put to service not just for joy rides, but also for regular service as it would give the younger generation an idea of how a locomotive on rails could be run. This would give them an idea of how Mumbai local trains were managed, he said.
BEST chairman Ashish Chemburkar is also pretty positive about the project. He has evinced keen interest in reviving the tram. Trams had proved to be a huge success in the West, he said. The Mumbai Tourism project and BMC (parent company of BEST) are expected to jointly fund the project.
It was in 1874 that trams started running on Mumbai's narrow roads and they were referred to as horses. In 1907, they started running along electric lines. But then trams became history when BEST buses started rolling out and took to all the roads and streets of the metropolis. In 1964 they were packed and given a formal farewell.