Rail transport in Iceland

Reykjavík Harbour Railway from 1920 by N. P. Kirk

The railway system initially operated a network of around 10 km of track, from a quarry outside the city, Öskjuhlíð, from which it ran a short distance to a junction, passing loop, and sidings. The junction was located just south of a large field which became the Reykjavík city airport. From there, one line ran to the west, around the western edge of the city, before proceeding along the newly constructed western harbour pier to the island of Effersey. A headshunt there allowed trains to reverse along a further line, built out onto the outer harbour wall, and extended as that wall itself grew longer.

From the first junction a second line ran east around farms to a locomotive depot just outside the city, located close to where the National Hospital, Landspítali, is today. The railway was extended in 1920, when the second phase of the harbour was constructed. The 1.5 km (0.93 mi) extension from the depot was constructed, which ran on to a further junction where a short branch line led into a secondary quarrying site. The main line continued to a further junction on the edge of the docks. From there, one line ran along the quayside Kolabakki (where one of the locomotives is today preserved on display, by Austurhöfn), whilst the other ran out along the eastern harbour wall.[2]

The final size of the network was approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) with a gauge of 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) narrow gauge and a rail weight of 22.5 kg/m (45 lb/yd). The steepest sections were 1:40 gradient and the tightest curves had a radius of 55 m (60 yd).[1]

The last remains of railway track were dismantled in 1940-1945 after the British invasion of Iceland during the construction of Reykjavík Airport. Today none of the track remains.

Locomotive Minør as preserved today

The railway was operated by two steam locomotives built by the Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik of Germany, both of which have been preserved. Built in the 1890s in Germany, they worked briefly in Denmark before being imported to Iceland in 1913 for the harbour railway project. Locomotive Pioner is now a static exhibit at the Icelandic Folk Museum at Arbær, Árbær Museum, whilst locomotive Minør, after many years of storage in a Nissen hut under piles of rubbish, is now an open-air static exhibit in Reykjavík.[3] A scale model of part of the railway, showing one of the locomotives at work, is displayed in the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. Minør was the first to be withdrawn, whilst Pioner (which had received a replacement boiler in 1910 to extend its life) continued to operate until the railway closed in 1928.

The locomotives had an operating pressure of 180 psi (1.2 MPa) and a power of around 150 hp (110 kW). The locomotives ran at a maximum of 50 km/h (31 mph).

The main vehicles on the railway was a fleet of 60 four-wheeled open wagons. Two types of wagons were operated, one for large boulders and another for sand with fully-opening sides for loading and unloading. The wagons were not outfitted with brakes. Some of the wagons were modified and outfitted with rudimentary benches to transport workers and dignitaries for some press events, regular passenger transport was prohibited for safety reasons. All of the wagons were sold to Poland when the operations of the railway ceased. The typical operation used a rake was 20 wagons with around 7 to 8 trips a day on the western branch and 17 trips a day on the eastern branch.[1]

Iceland's first railway accident was on the Reykjavik Harbour Railway. Records at the Árbær Museum show that both locomotives were involved in accidents between the two world wars. Pioner was deliberately derailed by vandals, who placed a chain across the track and weighted down its two sides with rocks. They later claimed that they were testing the locomotive's performance, because it had already survived their previous experiments of placing coins and planks on the track. Minør was involved in a genuine accident when a section of track gave way beneath the engine. That was later found to have been caused by rotten wooden sleepers supporting that section of track.[4]

Workers with the locomotive Minor

During the Reykjavík Harbour Railway's existence, it occasionally used to transport other freight on an ad hoc basis. When the main construction phase of the harbour was completed in 1917 the City of Reykjavík decided to purchase all of the equipment used in its construction, including the railway - presumably to ensure its continued use. Mostly in the years 1914–1918 the harbour railway was used to transport:

• Oil drums from the new quay at Örfisey (where Reykjavík's oil terminal still stands today) into the city centre;
• Meat for export from the Sláturfélag Suðurlands meat processing plant at Skúlagata to the harbour;
• Timber and aggregate for building construction in the city centre; and
• Coal from the harbour to local distributors.

The railway was again used for other purposes in 1926 during the construction of Landspítali when cement and aggregate was transported from the harbour and one of the quarries.[1]

The first official proposals for railways in Iceland were made in 1906. The route would have run from Reykjavík to Selfoss via Þingvallavatn. That route would allow extensions to Akranes/Borgarfjörður, Rangarvöllur. Surveys were made in the summer at the instigation of the Prime Minister, Hannes Hafstein. Over the next few years, engineer Jón Þorláksson conducted more surveys in regard to snowfall, and developed cost estimates, including a comparison between the cost of oil- and coal-powered systems.[3]

In 1921, Alþingi decided to look at the possibility of railways again. Subsequently, in 1922–1923, a Danish engineer made surveys of a route from Reykjavík to Selfoss via Þrengsli. It was the shortest and cheapest solution. The route was envisioned to carry both passenger and freight, which would have been cheaper than existing methods of transportation. In 1927, the city development plan of Reykjavík included a railway terminus with multiple platforms, just outside the Reykjavík city centre in Norðurmýri. Automobile traffic was rising and there was a need for better roads. Comparisons were made between a road and rail system in Iceland, and it was eventually determined that roads would take priority. In 1931, plans for railways in Iceland were abandoned.[3]

There have also been serious proposals for a light rail system for the Capital Region (Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Hafnafjörður). In the Samtök Sveitarfélaga á Höfuðborgarsvæðinu (Association of municipalities in the Capital Area) master plan for the capital area, Höfuðborgarsvæðið 2040, the transport section outlines a plan to create a light rail/BRT system in the Capital Area.[11] The mayors of the respective municipalities have agreed to the masterplan and have shown interest in this proposal, which is currently in a planning stage.[12]

In 2019, a funding package was agreed between the central government and municipalities in the Capital Region on the construction of a BRT system, scaled back from original light rail proposals.[13] As of 2023, the first phase set for completion in 2026, is from Reykjavík city centre to Hamraborg in Kópavogur. The second phase is from the city centre to Ártúnshöfði in eastern Reykjavík, to be complete in 2027. Later phases are still in planning, but a network spanning the greater Capital Region is to be constructed in phases.