Proposal to start tramway service in Hyderabad

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s proposal for a tramway service has set the tone for a discussion on a whole new mode of public transport in a city that is already awaiting an ultramodern Metro Rail.

The GHMC has proposed the tramway with an eye on increasing tourist footfalls in historic heritage spots including Charminar, Quli Qutb Shahi tombs and Golconda Fort, apart from providing the congested old city with an alternative mode of public transport.

Questions too are aplenty, starting from how feasible the project would be and on how acquisition of land for the project would be done, especially when acquisition for the Metro is still embroiled in legal tussles.

According to Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, the State government was focusing on improving the public transport system in Hyderabad. Apart from being cost-effective, trams help in decongesting traffic and reducing pollution. Most



people think trams need lot of space but they can be operated in small and narrow roads also, he said.

The idea behind requesting Bordeaux Metropole to prepare the feasibility report was that they were experts on the system. They have taken up the project in their city without disturbing many existing structures, said Rammohan, adding that they would extend all technical and administrative support for the project as well.

However, Forum for Good Governance secretary M Padmanabha Reddy said trams were outdated and might not work in a city like Hyderabad, that too in the old city. Advanced cities such as London and others are now utilising underground tubes and elevated metro rails. Trams service was beneficial in the past as there was not much of traffic in cities, he said, adding that trams need Right of Way and with vehicles crisscrossing at will, it would be a tough task to operate these services here.