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Tram to Neo-Metro: Transformation of Nashiks Public Transport

Prashant Nikale

If you are curious enough to google ‘When the Wheel was invented?’ a known figure of our ancestors or what we have imagined or found how they used to look like appears. It says that the wheel was invented in 4th millennium that is 5500 years ago in Lower Mesopotamia or the modern day Iraq. In 2000 BC a major change took place in these heavy discs and they were shredded to make lighter wheels. The discovery of wheel and its use in transportation proved biggest game changer in human history.

The concept of a public transit system in the world was first introduced in the year 1820 in France and London with the introduction of the omnibus, a horse-drawn car that held up to 10 people at a time. In the year 1873 the first such service was introduced in India in city of Kolkata by Britishers. In the year 1874 the service got operational in Mumbai and in the year 1889 Nashik became the third city introduced with the service.

Nashikites reminisce about the good old days of the tram service that used to run in Nashik, when they heard about the Neo Metro project. In Nashik the tram service was started in the year 1889 during British rule. It was quite honour for city of Nashik, as it was the third city, after Calcutta and Bombay, to receive this service. The tracks for tram are still beneath the newly developed road to Nashik Road.

The Nashik city had omnibus that is a two-cabin tram was pulled by four horses on a track. Its route originated from what is now the Old Municipal Corporation building located on the Main Road and terminated at the Nashik Road railway station.

The tram station was on the Main Road, and the tram was used to reach the Nashik Road railway station via the present Main Road, Bhadrakali Market, Ghasbazar, and Phalke Road. It covered a distance of about eight to ten km, and the stretch was covered with dense jungle. The old stop for the tram near Upnagar was used to provide water to the horses to quench their thirst.

The only transport mode to reach Nashik Road was trams or one or two taxis that covered the route. The services were provided at the rate of one paisa per ticket. It closed between 1931 and 1933. It ran on Nashik’s routes for almost 27 years, and later the horses got replaced by petrol engines. While it ran on diesel engines in other cities, petrol engines were the first in Nashik. For almost 44 years, it served the people of Nashik.

With the tram, the traditional Ghoda Gadi or Tangas were also serving the Nashikites. There were very few people in Nashik until 1970 who had four-wheelers or two-wheelers. Private vehicles were still out of reach even for the affluent until industrialization happened in Nashik. The tangas were expensive and were only used in case of an emergency or by those who could afford them.

The renowned writer and personality with thousands of stories Dr Kailas Kamod share’s that in the year 1965-66, the State Transport Buses hit the road, and it was the glamorous era of the State Transport or ST buses. Previously, they were mostly used only for visiting outstations or to reach Nashik Road Station for catching a train. Before 1965, the ST buses had two coaches attached and were pulled by a petrol engine. In 1965, the new form of buses with a single coach and attached engine in one frame was introduced.

About Auto Rickshaws, which are now a crucial means of transport for many, came to Nashik in 1970, and from then the rest is history. After the autos came into the market, the tangas faded from eyesight, and soon they disappeared. The auto-rickshaws took over and became the first choice for Nashikites to travel short distances within Nashik city and to reach Nashik Road, says Dr Kamod

After 1990, the Maharashtra Road State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) started introducing city buses for travelling within Nashik City. It only happened after the industries were established in Nashik and the need for transport for the human resource was realised. Until 2021, the MSRTC provided Nashik City bus service for citizens, tourists, and commuters.

Now, the new age Citilinc Bus Service by the Nashik Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (NMPML) is providing an easy means of public transport to Nashikites. The Citilinc bus service was introduced in 2021 during the Covid-19 era for ease of transport. Primarily, introduced with 28 buses, the bus service now has a fleet of 240 buses, of which 200 buses run on CNG and 40 are diesel buses. About 75,000 people use this service on daily basis as per the claim or the company.

Now, as the future of public transport of the Nashik city the State Government had announced Neo Metro Project. It will be elevated tire based metro which will run around the city for daily commuters. But, it is still on paper and will take several more year to come in reality.