Calcutta Trams In Vancouver For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
The iconic Calcutta trams are set to make their World Cup debut in Vancouver during FIFA 2026. A quirky cultural crossover filled with nostalgia, and transport department conundrums!
In what can only be described as a marvellous hat-tip to nostalgia with a touch of colonial déjà vu, two of our Calcutta trams are set to embark on a journey far more ambitious than their usual trot down College Street — all the way to Vancouver for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yes, you heard that right. Trams. To Canada. For football.
Now, if that doesn’t make your tea go cold, I don’t know what will.
A Tram with a Plan?
The Canadians, known for their politeness and perplexing obsession with maple syrup, have pulled out all the stops to add a cultural twist to their first-ever World Cup hosting gig. Along with neighbours the USA and Mexico, they’re gearing up to throw the mother of all football parties, and what better way to wow global fans than by ferrying them to BC Place Stadium in — wait for it — century-old Calcutta Trams?
Apparently, on 19th November 2024, a proposal was sent by a private firm suggesting that two of Calcutta trams be sent to Vancouver. The West Bengal Government, clearly as thrilled as a linesman spotting an offside, gave the nod. Just a small hiccup: there’s a case pending in the Calcutta High Court regarding tram conservation. So, while the trams may be packed and polished, their departure papers still need the legal green light.
Still, one can almost hear the trams creak with excitement.
High-Tech Woes Meet Hand-Pulled Wonders
But here’s where it gets sticky — and we don’t mean with jhalmuri. The fine folks in the transport department are scratching their heads harder than a bald man in mosquito season. You see, Calcutta trams still run using a technology the British left behind — a delightful old-fashioned trolley pole system involving more wires than a Bollywood conspiracy thriller.
Canada’s trams, on the other hand, are sleek, smooth, and powered by pantographs — a fancy word for a modern overhead electrical system that would look at Calcutta tram gear and politely ask, “What century are you from, dear?”
So now the question is: how, pray, do you run a hand-cranked heritage tram on a high-speed Canadian track without turning the whole thing into an unintentional episode of Top Gear?
As one senior transport official put it — and we quote with great affection —
“If we are to run our trams in Vancouver, we’ll have to take our old technology with us, lay our own tramlines, and set up the vintage power system too.”
In other words, a spot of time travel might be in order. Either that or an engineering miracle with the enthusiasm of a Rabindra Sangeet choir and the budget of a small moon landing.
A Cultural Offside or a Masterstroke?
To be fair, it’s not all smoke and sprockets. The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, clearly more poetic than most, commented during a hearing:
“Our cultural heritage is going abroad. We should be delighted.”
And delighted we are — or would be, if we could figure out how not to electrocute someone in the process.
The trams, we’re told, will run a short but scenic 1.7 km route, ferrying spectators from a designated point to BC Place. Think of it as a moving museum — one that honks, halts, and might, if you’re lucky, come with a conductor named Babulal who’s seen five decades and two revolutions.
Final Whistle?
So, while the rest of the world tunes up for tiki-taka football and TikTok reels, Calcutta’s contribution to the World Cup may just arrive ringing its bell and singing tales of Howrah rain and Gariahat gossip. The only catch? We’ve got to convince Canadian engineers to fall in love with 20th-century wiring.
But then again, if football can bring together Messi and maple syrup, who’s to say a tram can’t chug its way into World Cup history?
After all, it wouldn’t be the first time Calcutta sent something gloriously unexpected into the world. And if all else fails — well, we always did fancy a good underdog story. Cheerio!
What's Your Reaction?
