As modernization begins, the last stop of Kolkata's iconic trams has closed.

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For more than a century, trams have criss-crossed Kolkata’s crumbling colonial facades, their bells contributing to the city’s soundtrack as they carry passengers across generations.

Now, Asia’s oldest tram network is on the verge of extinction as authorities consider scrapping a mode of transport that has become more nostalgia than necessity.

The West Bengal government is planning to close the 152-year-old system, retaining only a small heritage route. The decision has sparked a court battle as residents and heritage supporters fight to keep the trams running.

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“As a child, we used to take the tram for fun, but as I grew up, it became a necessity,” said Abha Maiti, 44, recalling her school and college journeys. “I can’t imagine Kolkata without them.”

Once the highlight of the city’s streets, wobbly trams now fight for space in traffic jams – competing with buses and yellow taxis – as Kolkata builds modern infrastructure and seeks faster transport.

Kolkata introduced horse-drawn trams in 1873 and electrified them in 1902. At its peak, the network had over 340 trams and covered the entire city. Today, only two routes remain, with a fleet of about 10.

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“When I joined, there were more than 340 trams running. Now it has come down to seven or eight,” said Bachchu Sidda, a conductor for 36 years, who still checks his duty roster pinned on a board at the last working depot in Gariahat.

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The government began selling the depot and scrapping the cars years ago, prompting a citizens’ group called the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA) to take the fight to court. CTUA has campaigned since 2016 to save what remains of the system.

“I love my trams more than myself,” said Deep Das, 19, a journalism student and CTUA member. “If they disappeared, it would be like a part of my body has left me.”

Despite resistance, officials are spending billions of dollars to upgrade Kolkata’s infrastructure, focusing on metro expansion, widening roads and new highways to reduce congestion.

For now, the fate of Kolkata’s old trams awaits court review, as they still carry some passengers who see them as living memories of the city’s past.