Kolkata Trams 2005 part 2

Please note, the caption at 10:35 is incorrect. It should read Tipu Sultan Mosque at Esplanade and not BBD Bag.
The Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) is responsible for the trams in the city of Kolkata. In 2005 the system was looking very run-down and unloved. The tramway was converted from meter to standard gauge and electrified in 1902. It is the oldest electrified tramway system in Asia.
Some of the trams running in 2005 were over 65 years old, the newest were were about twenty years old. Before 1952 construction took place in Britain, after this date various companies in India have been responsible for construction. Uncertainty about the future of the system has resulted in a lack of investment.
Tramcars run in pairs with a driving cab at one end protected by a wire mesh and a single trolley pole. Reversal at the end of each journey is accomplished by means of a turning loop. Each pair have three sets of four wheel bogies with the middle pair between the two cars. Trams stop in the middle of the road making entry and exit for passengers hazardous.
Update: In 2012 this loss making enterprise still survives and even has a few new trams. Some of the older ones have received a coat of paint (but they still have all the bodywork dents!). In September 2012 it was announced that the system would be converted to a LRT system with modern air conditioned rolling stock.