“Mohamedali Tramways Company”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Mohamedali Tramways Company (MTC) was a transport network of rail vehicles in Karachi, Pakistan.

History

The idea of a tramway system for Karachi was conceived and a tender for its construction was first made in 1881. On February 8, 1883 a plan for a tramway was drawn up and permission obtained from the government for the use of steam-powered trams. In October 1884 construction was started. John Brunton was the Chief Engineer of the project. The tramway was opened on April 20, 1885 employing steam-powered cars. The opening ceremony took place near St Andrew's Church (Abdullah Haroon Road and Sharah-e-Liaquat).^[1]

The steam trams were replaced by horse-drawn ones in 1886.^[2] In 1902 the East India Tramways Company Limited was responsible for running the trams in Karachi.

By March 23, 1905 petrol-powered tram were introduced. By 1909 the entire fleet was replaced by petrol-powered trams. Each car had a capacity of 46 passengers and could travel at speeds of up to 18 mph. New tracks had to be re-laid for the petrol driven trams.^[1] The trams now ran on inverted U-shaped grooved-bridge rail with a four-foot gauge.^[2] The first two petrol-engined tramcars were designed by John Abbott and his son John Dixon Abbott, incorporating the Dixon-Abbott patent gearbox. They were built in England. By 1914, there were 37 petrol-powered tramcars running. 1945 saw the introduction of the first diesel-powered trams. Until 1955 there were still 64 petrol-powered trams in Karachi numbered from 94 to 157. These were single deck 4-wheeled cars with back-to-back cross benches. They had an 8 ft wheel base, and were 28 feet long, and 6 feet 8 inches wide. These cars were built between 1924 and 1948 with Perkins P.4 Diesel Engines and Simplex (Dixon-Abbott) Gearboxes. Cars number 145 to 157 were built as new diesel cars, while the rest of the cars were converted from petrol to diesel.^[1]

In 1949 the whole tramway system was sold to the Mohamedali Tramways Company (MTC) owned by Sheikh Mohammad Ali.^[1]^[2]

The tram was a common mode of transport as was the horse-drawn carriage.^[3] Only the elite had cars. A few young men owned motorcycles. Both men and women went about on bicycles, for this was the most common type of transport.^[4] According to the nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan who lived in Karachi at the time, the tram fare in the 1950s was one anna (less than one cent).^[5] Another user Ian Vaughan-Arbuckle says “You could use the trams without being jostled.”^[6]

Routes

The original line which started operating on April 20, 1885 ran from Saddar to Kiamari.

Closure

The trams in Karachi closed down on April 30, 1975.^[1] It is not clear whether the MTC was a victim of the Karachi Circular Railway which started in 1969 with 14 trains or of the transport mafia.^[7]

Possible revival

In 2017, a proposed plan for the renovation of the Saddar area in Karachi, has included the reintroduction of trams to ease the city's transport problems.^[8]

References

1. ^¹²³⁴⁵Jang 4 April 2010
2. ^¹²The Friday Times 17 January 2014
3. ^Viccaji, L. Made in Pakistan. Royal Book Company, Karachi, 2017.
4. ^Mascarenhas, Oswin (2011). The Origin and Evolution of St Lawrence's Parish, Karachi, Pakistan: The Garden Area with the Settlement of the Christian Community (Kindle Locations 809-811). Kindle Edition.
5. ^The News May 28, 2012
6. ^[https://www.dawn.com/news/1461677/you-could-use-trams-without-being-jostled Dawn, February 4, 2019]
7. ^Dawn February 8, 2003
8. ^[https://www.geo.tv/latest/164942-trams-make-their-way-into-rehabilitation-plan-for-karachi-downtown Geo TV October 29, 2017]