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Although in 2017 it was
eight years since I had visited the Faroe Islands myself it
was
possible to give some updates to the transport scene there
thanks to
two correspondents Malc McDonald and Renno Hokwerda who travelled
there in summer 2017 and recorded some notes and observations. The
inter-island ferries and interurban buses are operated by a publicly
owned company SSL, the buses using the Bygdaleiðir fleet name. In the capital and other
municipalities around the islands the local routes are operated under
the Bussleiðin name (in Tórshavn,
Klaksvik, Sunda and Eystur).
Bygdaleiðir
Strandfaraskip Landsins (SSL) had no noteworthy changes in 2017. Renno
observed
that a big share of the users were tourists,
and his impression was that in the winter months it must be a hugely
ineffective - but good quality - service. The Suðuroy ferry from
Tórshavn now sails
three trips every day, with connecting bus services. However there are
no
connecting buses provided on route 300 from the airport for the new SAS
flights (which compete with the Faroese flag carrier Atlantic Airways).
2017 was centennial anniversary year and Renno attended the 100 year
anniversary of SSL in Tvøroyri. The director was asked about how the 11
kilometre road tunnel under construction from Tórshavn to Eysturoy will
change the system
in the future but the response was that there was still plenty of time
left to figure that out before the target completion date of 2020.
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Other
activities on the anniversary day included a panel discussion
about ferry timetables to outposts, a
historic lecture about ferries, debates about ferries, photos of
ferries, statistics about ferries, ferries, ferries ferries ...
The Faroese minister of transport (a Suðuroy man) had just announced an
official exploration study for a tunnel from Sandoy to
Suðuroy, via Skúvoy. I sense that this tunnel is only a matter of time
rather than money. The minister was asked if the Suðuroy ferry would
reroute to Sandoy, at least
temporarily, after the 10 kilometre Sandoyartunnilin opens from
Streymoy in 2023. Sandur to Hvalba would be a much shorter trip which
could allow higher frequencies. He immediately said no, not worth the
investment (two new terminals), a difficult route
(currents), and more trips aren't necessary since only the morning trip
to Tórshavn and evening trip to Suðuroy are well used. But mostly he
liked how
the beauty of a ship like Smyril manoeuvring past the prime minister's
office
thrice-daily to remind Tórshavn of Suðuroy's existence ...
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Renno noted the night
bus running from Tórshavn to Vágar on Saturday/Sunday
night. It's a 1970 Volvo with wooden seats and floors that are made
to withstand the sometimes unfortunate consequences of late night
drinking. It departs towards the city at 10
p.m. and returns from the city at 5:00 Sunday morning. A ticket costs
100 kr.
More prosaically Malc noted that route 101 (Tórshavn – Gamlarætt for
the Sandoy ferry) appeared to have become a self-contained
operation and no longer interworked with the 300 as previously.
An SOR vehicle
registered MF221 was operating the 101 every time he saw it.
During the summer of 2019 the island of Sandoy was to become the first
in
the country to use eco-friendly buses that run on sustainable green
energy.
New contracts
In May 2020 Strandfaraskip Landsins (SSL) retendered the Bygdaleiðir
bus
network in five contract packages, with many new vehicles taking up
service. Overall about forty buses are needed, eight for Streymoy,
eleven for Eysturoy, nine for the southern islands and eleven for the
northern islands. One contract was gained by IR Lastbilar (proprietor
Rasmus
Rasmussen of
Kollafjorður) for routes 100-Vestmanna, 101-Gamlarætt for the Sandoy
ferry and 300-Vágur and airport. They use Neoplan Tourliners for
much of this work, most of which carry RB registrations. Landleiðin
of Klaksvik hold the second contract and operate trunk route
400-Tórshavn - Klaksvik,
also 410-Fuglafjorður and 500-Viðareði. For their main routes Iveco
Magesys are employed. Askham Bussar of Hvannasund lost this work in the
northern islands that they had previously operated. A third contract
was
awarded to Poulsen Bussar of Toftir for the local lines on Eysturoy
(including 440-Skálafjarðarleiðin) and the local
routes based on Oyrarbakki such as 200-Eiði and 202-Tjornuvik. MAN Lion
buses
are used by Poulsen, some with a very appropriate series of
registrations BUSS. In practice these Oyrarbakki routes appear to be
operated on sub-contract by HK Bussar of nearby Streymnes, a firm which
can trace its history back to 1958 when Berint Justinussen started in
the transport business. Also from the village of Streymnes the firm HZ
Bussar can also trace its roots back to a similar time when Hakun
Zachariassen started in transport.
The other two contracts cover
bus operation
on the southern islands of Sandoy and Suðuroy. On
Sandoy routes 600 and 601, operated by Handilshúsið, link the ferry
port of Skopun to Sandur, Skálavik and Dalur. This requires two buses. On the southernmost
island of Suðuroy route 700 links the southern villages of the island
to Vágur and
Tvøroyri whilst route 701 provides similar links for the northern
villages. Both routes serve the ferry port at Drelnes to coincide with
the several daily sailings of Smyril to and from the capital Tórshavn (a voyage of two hours).
This means early starts and late finishes most days of the week for the
seven buses of operator Suðuroyar Bygdaleiðir of Sumba. The headquarters of the national transport authority Strandfaraskip
Landsins (SSL) was relocated from Tórshavn to Tvøroyri on Suðuroy some
fourteen years ago in 2007.
Eysturoy Tunnel
On 19th December 2020 the new undersea toll tunnel northwards from
Tórshavn was opened to traffic. Eleven kilometres in length, the
Eysturoy Tunnel
links Hvitanes (just north of the capital) to Strendur and Runavik. It
incorporates the first roundabout in an undersea road tunnel too. Bus
400 from Tórshavn to Klaksvik now uses the new tunnel rather than the
previous lengthy route around Sundalagið through Kollafjørður and
Oyrarbakki. With the
Leirvik to Klaksvik road tunnel that was opened in 2006 the bus running
time between the two termini of Tórshavn and Klaksvik is now
only 65 miutes instead of 90. The new routing also provides much
improved journeys between Skálafjørður communities like Runavik and the
capital. New circular route 450 now provides the bus link from
Tórshavn to Oyrabakki for connections from there to Eiði, Gjógv and
Tjørnuvík. Operation of the 450 is shared between IR Lastbilar and
Landleiðin, with some runs on via the new Eysturoy tunnel, others via
the 'old' route through Kollafjørður.
However operating experience has shown that the route revisions
introduced when the Eysturoy tunnel opened last December have not
proved optimal. From 30th April 2021 trunk route
400 from Tórshavn to Klaksvik reverts to its original longer route
around Sundalagið, with two peak hour express journeys (numbered 401)
from Klaksvik to the capital still running through the tunnel. Other
journeys through the tunnel will be numbered 450 Tunnilsleiðin and will operate a
triangular route between Tórshavn and the Skálafjørður communities of
Strendur, Runavik and Toftir.
Sandoyar Tunnel With
the
opening of the southwards 10.8 kilometres long tunnel to Sandoy in December 2023 buses on
new route 650 will run through from the island to the capital
Tórshavn and the ferry
from Gamlaraett to Skopun was withdrawn. Routes 600 and 601 will
continue to run locally on Sandoy to provide connections with the new
650.
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MF221 waits at Gamlaraett for the Sandoy ferry
An SOR bus in the blue livery of Bygdaleiðir
(photo by Malc McDonald)
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| Bussleiðin
In 2017, their 38th
year of
operation, the Tórshavn
Bussleiðin network continued as usual. They were considering a new
network design for when the access highway around Hoyvík for the
Eysturoy Tunnel will have opened, according to the plan, in 2020. The
new bridge to Argir constructed in 2014 already offers opportunities
for improvements,
and so does the new big monumental school being built at the western
ring
road for 2018 opening. Malc
noted that on Bussleiðin route 4 he saw Volvo B8R/8900, registered
GA403, a couple of times - and that was the only vehicle he saw on the
4.
With three years of
operation now accrued the Klaksvik
town route 1 is
a real success and much used. However routes 2 (minibus) and 3 to
Norðoyri and Árnafjørður seem to get hardly any passengers.
The Eysturleiðin
route between
Syðragøta and Leirvík is used principally by schoolchildren. The bus
system in Sunda municipality is successful, according to the
newspapers, with 450 users in the first four months.
The Tórshavn
Bussleiðin network was substantially revised in April 2019, also reintroducing
all day and evening operations seven days a week - further
information here.
In December 2019 an
agreement was signed between the Tórshavn
municipality and Gundurs Bussar
for them to operate all of the city bus routes from 1st April 2020
until 1st January 2022. Their depot is in Slættanesgóta, on the
south western outskirts of Tórshavn. PVR is sixteen buses on
weekdays. Proprietor Gundur Johanneson received a badge of honour
from
the Tórshavn municipality for proving a respectable and good bus
service last year.
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Klaksvik Bussleiðin Volvo on route 1
(photo by Malc
McDonald)
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Strandferðslan Celebrates 100th Birthday
In May 2017 one hundred years had passed since the government bought the first
ship named Smiril
from the Mortensen family who operated it on the long Tórshavn to Suðuroy route. This was the start of Strandferðslan - or
Strandfaraskip Landsins as we know it today. Other ferry routes were taken over as years passed. Celebrations were held in
Drelnes on 19th May attended by the transport minister.
Strandfaraskip Landsins (SSL) is the nationally owned transport company
of the Faroes, providing transport to
all corners of the Faroe Islands. Since 2007 the head office has been
in Tvøroyri. SSL runs six ferries: Smyril,
Teistin, Sam, Ternan, Ritan and Sildberin. The ships are named
after birds, the frst four are car ferries, the others passenger
ferries. SSL also oversees the Bygdaleiðir bus
routes, which were progressively acquired from private operators as the
road network developed in the 1960s and 1970s. Their operation today is
sub-contracted to several different
Faroese bus companies. |
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Volvo GA403 leaves
Tórshavn on route 4
(photo by Malc
McDonald)
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Klaksvik minibus
operated by Askham
(photo by Malc
McDonald)
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=======================================================
This is a link to the Tórshavn Kommuna
website for the current Bussleiðin
timetables
This is a link to the earlier
2009 update page
This is a link to
Bussleiðin information for the period 1992 - 2003
This
is a link to Bygdaleiðir
information for the period 1992 - 2003
This is a
link to the SSL website for the current Bygdaleiðir
timetables
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