Remains of over five-decade-old tram tracks have been found underneath a road in south Mumbai which would be displayed at a museum of BEST, the city civic body’s transport wing, a senior official said.
During the repair of roads in Flora Fountain area here in the last two days, nearly 100 metres of four tram tracks in two pairs were found underneath the road.
Subsequently, the concerned officials held talks following which the tracks are now being removed from the road. They would later be kept in the BEST museum at Wadala for public display.
“Our administration has decided to put these relics of the tracks in our museum where a number of other monumental and antique artifacts are already showcased,” BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade said.
The tram service in Mumbai island was introduced in 1874. While horses initially pulled the trams, electric operated engines replaced the horses in 1907 till 1964 when it was discontinued. The Colaba corner was the main junction of the city’s tram network that would run from Colaba to Pydhonie via Crawford Market.
A supervisor from the road department of the civic body said, “Our road improvement work is going on since last two months, but recently, the men digging the road found the long pieces of tracks. After further digging, they were found to be the relics of old trams.”
“It seems the tracks were not uprooted and got buried when the mud roads were replaced with asphalt,” he said.
“The museum at Everad Nagar area in Sion-Pratiksha Nagar showcases historical, monumental and collection of antique artifacts. Now, the relics of the tram tracks will add more value to the collection,” Varade said, adding that it will throw more light on the history of Mumbai’s transport.
