The Keflavík Airport Development Company has said it thinks time has come to reconsider construction of a train line between the airport and the capital. Kjartan Þór Eiríksson, head of the company, feels that developments in manufacturing of lighter and faster trains, and an increase in the amount of tourists coming to Iceland, create a new rationale for such a project.

The possibility of building a railway line between Iceland’s largest international airport and the capital area has long been discussed. Reykjavík Energy commissioned a report to examine the possibility a few years ago, and provisions for a railway have been included in the master plan for local authorities in the Suðurnes area.

Employees of the Keflavík Airport Development Company have been doing the preliminary work for calculating the economics of building the line. Kjartan thinks it has yielded a firm basis for further examination.

In a discussion with Morgnblaðið, it was revealed that Kjartan has already raised the topic in Suðurnes and expects to speak to the ministry of the interior and the local authorities on the matter in the near future. He states that improved transport for the capital area is of significant interest for developing employment at Keflavík Airport. However, the company has stated that it does not intend to finance the necessary work.

Update: This post has been updated to correct the fact that Keflavík is not Iceland’s only international airport, but rather its largest. Thanks to reader Lorraine Helen Gage!

Source: mbl.is
Image: Flickr

Labels: Transport