Editing Transport in the Faroe Islands (section)

== 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).{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} Boats were used for transport between villages, even on the same island, as land transport was difficult due to the steep mountains.<ref name=ing1913>{{cite web |last1=Jagd |first1=N |url=http://www.e-pages.dk/ingarkiv/3131/15 |title=Havne paa Færøerne |website=www.e-pages.dk |pages=505–513|publisher=[[Ingeniøren]] |date=1913-09-27}}</ref>

===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&nbsp;II]], a large part of the Faroe Islands was accessible via ferries and automobiles; private buses and taxis operated as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.countrybus.co.uk/busesandbridges.htm|title=A note on some Faroese transport history old and new|website=www.countrybus.co.uk|access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref>

===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]] to [[Vágur]] and [[Tvøroyri]] in the south, to [[Fuglafjørður]] and [[Klaksvík]] in the north, and to the airport at [[Sørvágur]] in the west. [[Vágar Airport]] was built by the [[The British occupation of the Faroe Islands 1940-1945|British during World War&nbsp;II]]; it was reopened as a civilian international airport in&nbsp;1963. Additionally, the road network was further developed. Tunnels to distant valleys and [[firth]]s such as [[Hvalba]], [[Sandvík]], and [[Norðdepil]] were constructed in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Coping with distances : producing Nordic Atlantic societies|last=Br̆enholdt|first=Jryyen Ole|publisher=Berghahn Books|year=2007|isbn=978-1306545839|pages=113|oclc=875641038}}</ref>

===1970s onwards===
[[Image:Norðoyatunnilin Leirvík - Klaksvík.jpg|thumb|right|Entrance to the [[Norðoyatunnilin]] at [[Leirvík]] on [[Eysturoy]]]]
The fourth period saw the emergence of a "mainland" thanks to tunnels and bridges. In&nbsp;1973 the [[Streymin Bridge]], the first bridge between two Faroese islands, was established between [[Norðskáli]] on [[Eysturoy]] and [[Nesvík]] on [[Streymoy]]; in&nbsp;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&nbsp;1975 the [[causeway]] between [[Viðoy]] and [[Borðoy]] was constructed, in&nbsp;1986 a similar one between Borðoy and [[Kunoy]] was established, and in&nbsp;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 [[Tunnels of the Faroes|sub-sea tunnels]]. In&nbsp;2002 the tunnel between Streymoy and [[Vágar]]—the latter is the airport island—was finished, and in&nbsp;2006 the [[Norðoyatunnilin]] between Eysturoy and Borðoy was finished.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.maritime-executive.com/features/underwater-tunnels-revolutionize-the-faroes#gs.nuZbfLM|title=Underwater Tunnels Revolutionize the Faroes|work=The Maritime Executive|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en}}</ref> A toll, payable at petrol stations, of 170&nbsp;DKK (130&nbsp;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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sah.org/community/sah-blog/sah-blog/2016/10/25/connectivity-and-green-craft-exploring-the-infrastructure-and-architecture-of-the-faroe-islands|title=Connectivity and 'Green' Craft: Exploring the Infrastructure and Architecture of the Faroe Islands|website=www.sah.org|access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref> On 19 December 2020 the [[Eysturoyartunnilin]] 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]], a tunnel connecting [[Eysturoy]] and [[Streymoy]], which was completed in 2020, and [[Sandoyartunnilin]], a tunnel connecting Streymoy and [[Sandoy]], will be completed by 2023.{{needs update|date=May 2025}} The combined cost of the project is estimated at almost 3 billion DKK, and it will be the most expensive construction project in Faroese history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kvf.fo/greinar/2020/12/02/60-prosent-av-sandoyartunlinum-borad |title=60 prosent av Sandoyartunlinum borað |last1=Mohr |first1=Bjarni |date=2 December 2020 |website=kvf.fo |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref> Eysturoyartunnilin has the world's first under-sea [[roundabout]]. Its three tubes are 7.1&nbsp;km, 2.1&nbsp;km and 1.8&nbsp;km long, linked together by the roundabout. Sandoyartunnilin will be 10.6&nbsp;km long.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://aktuelt.fo/tunnilin+skal+upp+baedi+a+strondum+og+i+runavik.html#.UvX022Sovoo| title = Aktuelt.fo, Tunnilin skal upp bæði á Strondum og í Runavík}}</ref>

There have been talks about a possible tunnel between Sandoy and [[Suðuroy]]. The tunnel would be around 20–25&nbsp;km long. If completed this would mean that 99% of the Faroes would be connected by road.