CASE STUDY
METRO RAIL HISTORY
History of Metro Rail in India: Trams to Driverless Metro
T
he modern world has transformed itself faster than ever in each and every aspect of lives. Whether it be technology or anything else, science has proved itself worthy. Although science has also caused greater devastation during the first half of the twentieth century as two world wars, it has been the major force behind the present scenario of a peaceful world. To understand the role of science and technology in the modern world, we can have a look into the preindependence era of Indian Subcontinent. That was the world of bullock carts and Charkha. Things have changed rapidly during the period of the last 100 years and since we are talking about the history of the Urban Transit System, let's have a look into the circumstances which led to rapid growth of the mass transit system in India. The British rule in India was for nothing but to drain the wealth of this beautiful nation. They developed a huge rail network to transport the resources of Indian Subcontinent to the ports and then subsequently to their own country, England. The motto behind development of the rail network in India was solely for the movements of goods and later, for the transport of labour.
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Until the year 1905, Kolkata used to be the capital of the subcontinent being governed by the English people. As it was the capital city, the Britishers used to develop the city to show their might, wealth and power. It was for the same purpose that the first horse-drawn trams came into existence in India. These trams ran between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street of Kolkata on 24 February 1873 for the first time. Although the services were discontinued very soon the same year, it was the first of its kind in imperial India and it is regarded as the first attempt to run a public transit system in any of the Indian cities. Remember, Kolkata used to be the capital of India at that time and that's why these major developments were taking place there. Afterwards, The Calcutta Tramway Company was formed and Meter-gauge horse-drawn tram tracks were laid from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat via Bowbazar Street, Dalhousie Square, and Strand Road. This was such an ambitious project that it was inaugurated by the then Viceroy of India. You may think about the intensity of joy and happiness at the time. This was the start and ever since, the public transit system of the Indian cities have remained developing at a faster pace.
URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE MAY 2021
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