Tram revival plan on PPP model: Aussie, Belarus cos show interest | Kolkata News
Kolkata: The Bengal govt is planning to revive and modernise Kolkata’s tram services through a public-private partnership (PPP), with companies from Australia and Belarus expressing interest in participating in the project.“We will float tenders seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from private players after examining the recommendations of the RITES study on the city’s tram network. The process will be used to identify operators capable of running, upgrading and modernising tram services,” said state transport minister Arjun Singh.Under the proposed model, the govt will retain ownership of the tram infrastructure while a private partner will be brought in for operations and modernisation. The state is expected to earn royalty from the operator against the right to run the services, said Singh.The plan marks an attempt to give Kolkata’s historic tram system a new operational and financial model instead of depending entirely on government funding.The govt is also examining the possibility of extending tram connectivity beyond the traditional network. New tram routes have been proposed in Salt Lake and New Town, where the system could be developed along modern transit corridors rather than the congested alignments of central Kolkata.The final contours of the project, including routes, investment requirements, operating conditions and the royalty structure, are expected to emerge through the tendering process.Kolkata is the only Indian city where trams continue to operate, though services have shrunk sharply over the years. The proposed PPP initiative is aimed at retaining the mode while making it financially and operationally sustainable.
