Tram Library

Team Chronicle

In September 2020, West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) launched an air conditioned ‘library on wheels’ – India’s very first tram-library – in its bid to save the city’s heritage tram. Bibliophiles and die hard Calcutta fans found a reason to rejoice as they could now travel by the city’s iconic tramcar through its educational hub and while on the ride flip through the pages of a Feluda or choose instead a serious academic journal.

There was just one tram-library that operated between Esplanade and Shyambazar. The idea was to travel along a route that touches a maximum number of educational institutions and hence the Esplanade-Shyambazar route (that supposedly encompasses about 30 schools and colleges of Calcutta) was chosen.

The tram-library had books that seemed to focus primarily on competitive exams like CAT, SAT, UPSC, etc. There were also a few works of fiction as well as national and international magazines. The tram library also had a Wi-Fi connection with password available for free access to the internet inside the moving tram. However, the stock of books and magazines were exclusively managed by the conductors, who maintained a strict log of those being issued.

The tram-library ran every two hours starting from Esplanade Tram Depot at 9 am everyday barring Sunday. With this unique ride, students enjoyed a novel experience while rekindling their romance with trams.

Reaching their schools and colleges while reading books borrowed from the library made for a unique initiation of travel rites. Also, being undertaken in the comfort of an air conditioned tramcar at INR 20 per ride washed off every trace of boredom one might have otherwise felt during the course of their daily drudgery of intra-city travel. It’s also acted as a great stress buster for the general public who had some peaceful time while on the move.

Smaranika

It all began with ‘Smaranika’ – the air conditioned tram museum stationed at Esplanade. The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has not only metamorphosed an old tram car into an intriguing tram museum called Smaranika displaying innumerable exhibits and models on trams but has also made a special addition by opening a café inside it. In this quaint cafeteria, one can soak in a rare quietude as one sips on a hot cuppa, far flung from the city’s clamorous crowd. And now WBTC has the perfect place for book lovers. Kudos!