The Executive Committee of the Reykjavík City Council suggested in its meeting on Thursday that the possibility of a railway connection between Keflavík International Airport and the Reykjavík metropolitan region be included in the capital’s general land use plan and capital area’s regional planning.
Keflavík International Airport. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
“It is in fact a request from the Executive Committee to the planning division and steering group on the general land use plan,” Hjálmar Sveinsson, Social Democrat council member and representative on the city’s environment and planning division, told Fréttablaðið.
“The matter is mainly about the municipality arranging their general land use plans such that they don’t exclude a railway system in the future. There is no decision involved except the municipalities keeping the possibility open,” he explained.
Hjálmar said that these ideas are part of the future strategy for the domestic airport area in Vatnsmýri.
“Apart from that it is the most important transport route in the country and traffic will continue to increase there as it is estimated that Iceland will have one million tourists per year in ten to 15 years,” he added.
There are no ideas yet on where railway tracks might be established, but the goal is to create a task force representing all the municipalities involved to discuss the matter.
Click here to read more about ideas to establish a railway system in Iceland.
ESA
