Transport in Svalbard

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Snowmobiles at Longyearbyen; abandoned mine shaft in the background

snowmobiles are used extensively during winter, both for commercial and recreational activities. Transport from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg (45 km or 28 mi) and Pyramiden (100 km or 62 mi) is possible by snowmobile at winter, or by ship all year round. Road systems exist within the communities of Longyearbyen, Barentsburg, Ny-Ålesund and the now-closed Sveagruva. All settlements have ports and Longyearbyen has a bus system.[2]

Aviation

Svalbard Airport, Longyear

There are three airports in the Svalbard area,

.

Scandinavian Airlines System operates daily flights to Tromsø and Oslo on mainland Norway.[6] Lufttransport provides services to Ny-Ålesund Airport and Svea Airport, using Dornier 228 turboprop aircraft. There are also regular charter flights.[7] On 29 August 1996, Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashed into Operafjellet mountain about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the airport. All 141 people on board the Tupolev Tu-154M were killed. It is the worst air crash in Norwegian history.[8]

Railways

Narrow-gauge mining railways used to operate at a number of locations, in particular at Ny-Ålesund and Grumant (built by the Norwegians and Soviets respectively).[10] Most of these railways have been abandoned, but the one at Barentsburg was reported as still functional in 2008.[11]

References

A locomotive on an abandoned railway near Ny-Ålesund
  1. ^ Umbriet (1997): 64
  2. ^ Umbriet (1997): 63–67
  3. ^ Tjomsland and Wilsberg, 1996: 154
  4. ^ Tjomsland and Wilsberg, 1996: 155–158
  5. ^ Avinor (2010). "Årsrapport Passasjerer" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  6. ^ Avinor. "Direkteruter" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  7. ^ Lufttransport. "Kystvakt" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  8. ^ Flight Safety Foundation. "29 AUG 1996". Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  9. ^ Eisenträger, Stian & Per Øyvind Fange (30 March 2008). "- Kraftig vindkast trolig årsaken". Verdens Gang. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
  10. ^ Williams, Glyn. "Railways in Svalbard". www.sinfin.net. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  11. ^ The Railways of Spitsbergen

Bibliography