get there and around
Public transport is provided by the Kolkata suburban railway, the
Kolkata Metro, trams and buses. The suburban network is extensive and
extends into the distant suburbs. The Kolkata Metro, run by the Indian
Railways, is the oldest underground system in India.[65] It runs
parallel to the River Hooghly and spans the north-south length of the
city covering a distance of 16.45 km. Buses are the preferred mode of
transport and are run by both government agencies and private
operators. Kolkata is India's only city to have a tram network,
operated by Calcutta Tramways Company.[66] The slow-moving tram
services are restricted to certain areas of the city. Water-logging due
to heavy rains during the monsoon sometimes interrupts the public
transport.[67][68]
Hired forms of mechanised transport include the yellow metered taxis,
while auto rickshaws ply in specific routes. Almost all the taxis in
Kolkata are Ambassadors. This is unlike most other cities where Tata
Indicas or Fiats are more common. In some areas of the city, cycle
rickshaws and hand-pulled rickshaws are also patronised by the public
for short distances. Private owned vehicles are less in number and
usage compared to other major cities due to the abundance in both
variety and number of public vehicles.[69] However, the city witnessed
a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles; 2002 data
showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven years.[70] The road
space (matched with population density) in the city is only 6%,
compared to 23% in Delhi and 17% in Mumbai, creating major traffic
problems.[71] Kolkata Metro Railway and a number of new roads and
flyovers have decongested the traffic to some extent.
Kolkata has two major long distance railway stations at Howrah Station
and Sealdah. A third station named Kolkata has been launched in early
2006.[72] The city is the headquarters of two divisions of the Indian
Railways — Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.[73]
The city's sole airport, the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International
Airport at Dum Dum to the north of the city, operates both domestic and
international flights. Kolkata is also a major riverport in eastern
India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks and the
Haldia docks.[74] There are passenger service to Port Blair in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship service to various ports in
India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. Also
there are ferry services connecting Kolkata with its twin city of
Howrah.
