Rail transport in Saint Helena
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Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, that is all forms of traffic in the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.


Saint Helena


Road traffic

The island of
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
has a road network, consisting of of paved and of unpaved road. Most roads are single-lane, and uphill traffic has a right of way. A general speed limit of applies to the entire island. On Saint Helena there is a public bus network that in January 2015 served five routes, but was expanded in September 2015, March 2016 and October 2017.


Shipping

The M/V ''Helena'' serves the island from Cape Town on a monthly basis. The ship was built in 1998 in China and can take of cargo, or 218 TEU. Saint Helena has a feeder and a harbour: * Jamestown (feeder) *Rupert's Wharf in the Rupert's Valley (harbour)


Air traffic

With the opening of
Saint Helena Airport Saint Helena Airport is an international airport on Saint Helena, a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. The construction of the runway was finishe ...
, scheduled flights have been operated since 14 October 2017. The new airport is served weekly from Johannesburg (South Africa). During the pandemic 2020-2021 this service were temporarily cancelled and instead monthly flights operated from London (UK), but from 2022 there are flights from Johannesburg again.


Rail traffic

In 1829, the Saint Helena Railway Company opened a horse-drawn railway from Jamestown to Half Tree Hollow, which was also known as Ladder Hill Railway, or Jacob's Ladder. The main purpose was to transport goods from the port of Jamestown to the higher houses. The service was discontinued in 1871 because it was damaged by termites. Another small rail network was built for the seawater desalination plant in Ruperts. Details of the track are not known.


Ascension


Road traffic

On Ascension there is a road network of , which is continuously paved. The public bus transport network has four stops (as of 2014).


Shipping

Ascension has a feeder in the island's capital Georgetown. The port was modernized in 2011 with a new crane, among other things.


Air traffic

With Wideawake Airfield, Ascension has had an airport since 1943. It is primarily used for military purposes, but is also served by monthly scheduled services from
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
.


Tristan da Cunha


Road traffic

Tristan da Cunha has a road network of , half of which is paved or half unpaved. The island has probably the smallest public bus network in the world. The fleet of minibuses is available to pensioners free of charge.


Shipping

The shipping traffic is of outstanding importance for Tristan da Cunha, which has no airfield. All goods and travellers can only reach the island by sea. Tristan da Cunha is approached irregularly from Cape Town by MFV Edinburgh, M/V Baltic Trader, and
S. A. Agulhas II ''S. A. Agulhas II'' is a South African icebreaking polar supply and research ship owned by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). She was built in 2012 by STX Finland Rauma shipyard in Rauma, Finland, to replace the ageing '' S. A. Agu ...
. Tristan da Cunha has with the Calshot Harbour a port in Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. The port was comprehensively renovated at the beginning of 2017. It is 2 meters deep and takes only smaller boats. All larger ships have to stay offshore and both passengers and cargo have to be transferred to small boats.


Air traffic

Tristan da Cunha has no airport or airstrip of any kind. The S.A Agulhas II has a helicopter which is used for transport between the ship and land. The other ships regularly visiting Tristan da Cunha don't have that, and transport ashore is done with small boats which requires waves not to be too large.


See also

* Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha#Communications *
Communications in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Their communications ...


References


External links

{{Commons category, Transport in Saint Helena
BBC News- "Saint Helena to get first airport"
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...