Transport on Saint Helena
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates This article deals with traffic in Saint Helena, 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
[edit]Road traffic
[edit]The island of Saint Helena has a Template:Convert road network, consisting of Template:Convert of paved and Template:Convert of unpaved road.<ref name="ciafact15">Template:Cite web</ref> Most roads are single-lane, and uphill traffic has a right of way. A general speed limit of Template:Convert applies to the entire island. On Saint Helena there is a public bus network that in January 2015 served five routes,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but was expanded in September 2015,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> March 2016<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and October 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Shipping
[edit]The M/V Helena serves the island from Cape Town on a monthly basis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The ship was built in 1998 in China and can take Template:Convert 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
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With the opening of Saint Helena Airport, scheduled flights have been operated since 14 October 2017, twelve years after the British government agreed to fund it in order to encourage tourism to the island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The new airport is served weekly from Johannesburg (South Africa).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the pandemic 2020-2021 this service were temporarily cancelled and instead monthly flights operated from London (UK), but from 2022 there were flights from Johannesburg again, and by 2023 the flights came twice weekly in the summer season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rail traffic
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In 1829, the Saint Helena Railway Company opened a horse-drawn railway from Jamestown to Half Tree Hollow,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Another small rail network was built for the seawater desalination plant in Ruperts. Details of the track are not known.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ascension
[edit]Road traffic
[edit]On Ascension there is a road network of Template:Convert, which is continuously paved.<ref name="ciafact15" /> The public bus transport network has four stops (as of 2014).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Shipping
[edit]Ascension has a feeder in the island's capital Georgetown. The port was modernized in 2011 with a new crane, among other things.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Air traffic
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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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tristan da Cunha
[edit]Road traffic
[edit]Tristan da Cunha has a road network of Template:Convert, half of which is paved or half unpaved.<ref name="ciafact15" /> The island has probably the smallest public bus network in the world. The fleet of minibuses is available to pensioners free of charge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Shipping
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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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tristan da Cunha has with the Calshot Harbour<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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
[edit]Tristan da Cunha has no airport or airstrip of any kind.<ref>https://www.tristandc.com/visits.php | Tristan da Cunha Visiting Tristan. Retrieved 9 August 2020</ref>
The S.A Agulhas II has a helicopter which is used for transport between the ship and land.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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
[edit]- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha#Communications
- Communications in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha