The
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
is served by an internal transport system based on roads,
ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
, and
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s. As of the 1970s, the majority of the population centres of the Faroe Islands have been joined to a single road network, connected by bridges and tunnels.
International transport, both for passengers and freight, remains difficult due to high costs, long distances, and bad weather, especially during the winter. Exporting domestically produced goods is thus expensive; this limits the development of a commodity-based economy.
History
The general history of the Faroese transportation system can be divided into four periods:
Before 1900
During this first period, transportation was rather primitive; it consisted of row boats, walking, and, in certain places, horse transport (for the upper class). Boats were used for transport between villages, even on the same island, as land transport was difficult due to the steep mountains.
1900 to the end of World War II
The second period commenced in the late-19th century, when ferry connections began to emerge. The ferries were largely private initiatives, but they increasingly came to be operated by the public sector. This was supplemented by an emerging culture of automobiles. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, a large part of the Faroe Islands was accessible via ferries and automobiles; private buses and taxis operated as well.
The end of World War II to the 1970s
The third period was characterized by modernization. The introduction of the car ferry made it possible to drive between the various city centres of the country. It became possible to drive from the capital
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
to
Vágur and
Tvøroyri
Tvøroyri is a village on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy island in the Faroe Islands. Together with Froðba, Trongisvágur, Líðin and Øravík it forms Tvøroyri Municipality.
The village is considered ...
in the south, to
Fuglafjørður
Fuglafjørður is a village on Eysturoy's east coast in the Faroe Islands. Its name means "fjord of birds".
The village is at the edge of a bay and expands into the surrounding steep hills.
The town centre is located close to the harbour and ...
and
Klaksvík
Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality.
History
The first ...
in the north, and to the airport at
Sørvágur :''There is also a town called Vágur on Suðuroy.''
Sørvágur ( da, Sørvåg) is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands.
It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður. Sørvágur is the largest village in Sørvágur ...
in the west.
Vágar Airport was built by the
British during World War II; it was reopened as a civilian international airport in 1963. Additionally, the road network was further developed. Tunnels to distant valleys and
firth
Firth is a word in the English and Scots languages used to denote various coastal waters in the United Kingdom, predominantly within Scotland. In the Northern Isles, it more usually refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to ''fj ...
s such as
Hvalba
Hvalba ( da, Kvalbø) is a village and a municipality in the Faroe Islands, which consists of Hvalba, Nes-Hvalba and Sandvík.
The village spreads around the bottom of a deep inlet, Hvalbiarfjørður, in the northeast of Suðuroy.
Population
Hv ...
,
Sandvík
Sandvík (pronounced , "Sandy Bay"; da, Sandvig) is the northernmost village of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the northern side of a shallow fjord. The village was previously known as Hvalvík (''Bay of Whales'') ...
, and
Norðdepil
Norðdepil (pronounced ; da, Norddeble) is a town on the east coast of the island of Borðoy in the Norðoyar Region of the Faroe Islands.
History
Norðdepil was founded in 1866. Its school opened in 1895.
On 18 August 1941, around noon, a Ger ...
were constructed in the 1960s.
1970s onwards
The fourth period saw the emergence of a "mainland" thanks to tunnels and bridges. In 1973 the
Streymin Bridge
The Streymin Bridge ( Faroese: Brúgvin um Streymin; in short Brúgvin), is an important highway bridge in the Faroe Islands. It connects the two biggest and most populous islands of Streymoy to the west and Eysturoy to the east. Crossing the Sun ...
, the first bridge between two Faroese islands, was established between
Norðskáli
Norðskáli is a settlement in the Faroe Islands on the island of Eysturoy, a few kilometres north of Oyri.
Its name means ''north dwelling'' and its population is 331.
The 226-metre Streymin Bridge crosses Sundini from the island of Streymoy b ...
on
Eysturoy
Eysturoy (pronounced estroimeaning 'East Island') is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population.
Description
Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely ...
and
Nesvík
Nesvík is a village on the east coast of the Faroese island of Streymoy, located in the Sunda municipality.
In 2020 its population was 0 with the last inhabitants leaving in 2016. Nesvík is home to a religious camp of the conservative Inner Mis ...
on
Streymoy; in 1976 the new tunnel between Norðskáli and Eysturoy was completed. The Faroes' two largest islands were connected into what is now referred to as "Meginlandið", the Mainland. In 1975 the
causeway between
Viðoy
Viðoy ( da, Viderø) is the northernmost island in the Faroe Islands, located east of Borðoy to which it is linked via a causeway. The name means ''wood island,'' despite the fact that no trees grow on the island; the name relates to the drift ...
and
Borðoy was constructed, in 1986 a similar one between Borðoy and
Kunoy was established, and in 1992 the capital Tórshavn was granted a first-class connection to the northern parts of the islands, creating the infrastructural prerequisites for a mobile society on the mainland.
The newest developments of the Faroese transportation network are the
sub-sea tunnels. In 2002 the tunnel between Streymoy and
Vágar—the latter is the airport island—was finished, and in 2006 the
Norðoyatunnilin between Eysturoy and Borðoy was finished. A toll, payable at petrol stations, of 170 DKK (130 DKK in June 2013) is charged to drive through these two tunnels; the others are free. Now more than 85% of the Faroese population is accessible by automobile. On 19 December 2020 the
Eysturoyartunnilin
The Eysturoyartunnilin (in English the Eysturoy Tunnel, earlier known as the Skálafjarðartunnilin) is a large undersea road tunnel under the Tangafjørður sound in the Faroe Islands, connecting the island of Streymoy to the island of Eysturo ...
between Streymoy and Eysturoy opened for traffic.
Future
In early 2014 all political parties of the
Løgting agreed to the construction of two tunnels:
Eysturoyartunnilin
The Eysturoyartunnilin (in English the Eysturoy Tunnel, earlier known as the Skálafjarðartunnilin) is a large undersea road tunnel under the Tangafjørður sound in the Faroe Islands, connecting the island of Streymoy to the island of Eysturo ...
, a tunnel connecting
Eysturoy
Eysturoy (pronounced estroimeaning 'East Island') is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population.
Description
Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely ...
and
Streymoy, which was completed in 2020, and
Sandoyartunnilin
Sandoyartunnilin (Sandoy Tunnel) is an undersea road tunnel under construction in the Faroe Islands. It will connect the main island of Streymoy with Sandoy to the south. The length of the tunnel will be 10.8 kilometres. The estimated cost is 8 ...
, a tunnel connecting Streymoy and
Sandoy
Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...
, will be completed by 2023. The combined cost of the project is estimated at almost 3 billion DKK, and will be the most expensive construction project in Faroese history. Eysturoyartunnilin has the world's first under-sea
roundabout. Its three tubes are 7.1 km, 2.1 km and 1.8 km long, linked together by the roundabout. Sandoyartunnilin will be 10.6 km long.
There have been talks about a possible tunnel between Sandoy and
Suðuroy. The tunnel would be around 20–25 km long. If completed this would mean that 99% of the Faroes would be connected by road.
Railways
There are no passenger railways on the Faroe Islands due to the difficult landscape, small population, and relatively short distances.
Two railways have operated on the islands. A tunnel and rail system supplied a NATO radar installation, now decommissioned, which previously existed on a mountaintop in the southern part of Streymoy Island. The
Gjógv incline railway operates a freight service between the harbour and the village of Gjógv on Eysturoy island.
Roads
Roads have become the main method of transportation on the islands, replacing boats. In 2021, there were 16,289 petrol cars, 9,795 diesel cars, and 567 electric cars.
Google Street View
Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expan ...
became available for some roads in November 2017, supplied by residents and sheep rather than Google cars.
Highways
''total:''
:''national
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...
s:''
:''local roads:''
Bus services
The national bus network (''Bygdaleiðir'', Village routes) is operated by
Strandfaraskip Landsins operating the characteristic blue buses. Most buses are modern and were built by the
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
company. The principal route is Tórshavn-
Klaksvík
Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality.
History
The first ...
(via the
Norðoyatunnilin tunnel and
Streymin Bridge
The Streymin Bridge ( Faroese: Brúgvin um Streymin; in short Brúgvin), is an important highway bridge in the Faroe Islands. It connects the two biggest and most populous islands of Streymoy to the west and Eysturoy to the east. Crossing the Sun ...
). Although individual buses are generally owned by individuals or small companies, the timetables, fares, and levels of service are set by
Strandfaraskip Landsins and the government.
The municipalities of Tórshavn, Klaksvík,
Eysturkommuna and
Sunda operate their own free-of-charge local services, usually referred to as ''Bussleiðin''. Tórshavn's Bussleiðin has five routes and is operated by the Tórshavn municipality. Like Bygdaleiðir, the actual buses are privately owned, but contracted to Bussleiðin. Klaksvík's service commenced in 2014.
Sea
Ports and harbours
*
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
*
Klaksvík
Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality.
History
The first ...
*
Tvøroyri
Tvøroyri is a village on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy island in the Faroe Islands. Together with Froðba, Trongisvágur, Líðin and Øravík it forms Tvøroyri Municipality.
The village is considered ...
*
Vágur
*
Vestmanna
Vestmanna is a town in the Faroe Islands on the west of the island of Streymoy.
It was formerly a ferry port, until an undersea tunnel, the Vágatunnilin, was built from Vágar to Kvívík and Stykkið further south on Streymoy. The cliffs w ...
*
Kollafjørður
Kollafjørður ( da, Kollefjord) is a village in the Faroe Islands, located on the island of Streymoy. As of 1. January 2022, the village had a population of 828. Its postal code is FO 410. Until 2001 it was a municipality in its own right but is ...
*
Runavík
Runavík is a comparatively urbanised village in Runavík Municipality, Faroe Islands. It lies on the south half of the isle of Eysturoy.
Port
Founded in 1916, Runavík has an important port, originally used predominantly by fishing boats but n ...
*
Fuglafjørður
Fuglafjørður is a village on Eysturoy's east coast in the Faroe Islands. Its name means "fjord of birds".
The village is at the edge of a bay and expands into the surrounding steep hills.
The town centre is located close to the harbour and ...
*
Krambatangi
Krambatangi is the ferry port of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. The ferry MS ''Smyril'' M/F disembarks 2–3 times daily from Krambatangi to Tórshavn. Krambatangi is located on the southern side of Trongisvágsfjørður halfway between Trongis ...
*
Gamlarætt
Gamlarætt is a ferry port in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the southwestern side of the island of Streymoy, the largest island in the Faroes, between the villages of Velbastaður and Kirkjubøur. It accommodates ferry services to the isl ...
Merchant marine
''total:'' 6 ships ( or over) totaling / (1999 est.)
:''ships by type:''
:*
cargo ship 2,
:*
petroleum tanker 1,
:*
refrigerated cargo ship 1,
:*
roll-on/roll-off
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
1,
:* short-sea passenger 1.
Ferries
The Faroese ferry company
Strandfaraskip Landsins operates a network of ferries, in addition to the rural blue buses, called Bygdaleiðir (Villagelines). Their largest vessel is the ''Smyril'', a roll-on/roll-off ferry which maintains the link between Tórshavn and the southern island,
Suðuroy. This vessel entered service in 2005. Another ferry, ''Teistin'', a roll-on-off ferry, maintains the link between the island of
Sandoy
Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...
and Streymoy; the ferry port on Streymoy is at
Gamlarætt
Gamlarætt is a ferry port in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the southwestern side of the island of Streymoy, the largest island in the Faroes, between the villages of Velbastaður and Kirkjubøur. It accommodates ferry services to the isl ...
near
Kirkjubøur
Kirkjubøur ( da, Kirkebø) is the southernmost village on Streymoy, Faroe Islands. The village is located on the south-west coast of Streymoy and has a view towards the islands of Hestur and Koltur towards the west, and to Sandoy towards the sout ...
and
Velbastaður on the south-west coast of Streymoy. A
sub-sea tunnel is under construction between Sandoy and Streymoy, it will open in 2023 according to the plan. After that there will not be need of a ferry between the two islands. The proposed
Suðuroyartunnilin would also remove the ferry services to Skúvoy and Suðuroy.
Since the early 1980s,
Smyril Line has operated a regular international passenger, car and freight service using a large, modern, multipurpose ferry, the ''Norröna''. The weekly service links the Faroe Islands with
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the municipality of Múlaþing.
A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation ) connects Seyðisfjö ...
, Iceland, and
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town and seaport on the coast of Skagerrak on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe. It is located in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland. The town of Hirtshals has a p ...
, Denmark.
Air
Atlantic Airways is the national airline of the Faroe Islands, and has its operating base at
Vágar Airport. It operates regular flights to
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
while there are also seasonal flights connecting the Faroe Islands with destinations including
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Mallorca, and
Lisbon.
Originally state-owned, the airline has been partially privatised. The Government has plans to continue selling its remaining share in the airline. As a private company, Atlantic Airways continues to provide the Faroe Islands
search and rescue capability, under contract to the government.
Airports
The Faroe Islands has only one commercial airport.
Vágar Airport is located close to the village of
Sørvágur :''There is also a town called Vágur on Suðuroy.''
Sørvágur ( da, Sørvåg) is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands.
It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður. Sørvágur is the largest village in Sørvágur ...
, on the island of
Vágar. It has a paved 1,799 m / 5,902 ft runway, and was originally built by British
Royal Engineers during the Second World War. The main airlines operating regular scheduled flights are
Atlantic Airways and
Scandinavian Airlines. Other airlines operate charter flights.
Heliports
Helicopters provide domestic scheduled transportation, medical evacuation, and search & rescue activities.
There are public (passenger and freight) heliports at
Froðba,
Hattarvík,
Kirkja,
Klaksvík
Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality.
History
The first ...
,
Mykines,
Skúvoy,
Stóra Dímun,
Svínoy
Svínoy ( da, Svinø) is an island located in the north-east of the Faroe Islands, to the east of Borðoy and Viðoy. It takes its name from Old Norse, Svíney, meaning "Swine Isle". Svinoy also refers to a section of the ocean where North Atlanti ...
, and
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
(Boðanes). There are air ambulance heliports at
Skopun and
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
(hospital).
See also
*
Transport in Denmark
*
Tunnels of the Faroes
*
Smyril Line
*
Strandfaraskip Landsins
References
External links
Smyril LineStrandfaraskip Landsins– the website of the public transport service, including schedules for busses and ferries
*
Getting around Faroe Islands from Vagar Airport
{{Transport in Europe
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
Tourism in the Faroe Islands