The massive European country with no trains or railway stations | Travel News | Travel

Despite being the same size as Bulgaria or Hungary, this European country has no need for any train stations or railway lines. Iceland’s last major rail project shut its doors in 1928, and the loss has not harmed the country one bit.

The country’s 300,000-strong population simply makes use of alternative methods to navigate their homeland’s icefields and plateaus.

Dubbed ‘the Land of Ice and Fire’, Icelanders move across the country by car, bus, or inter-city aeroplane flights.

The lack of a railway can be attributed to the country’s extreme weather – snowstorms are commonplace – and a difficult terrain. Any public rail network would have the challenge of navigating massive mountains and volcanic eruptions.

Iceland has had a few short-lived railway lines in the past century, but none have stuck, as all were constructed for specific industrial projects.

Crisis struck the country in 2004, when a train filled with people met a train carrying cement head-on, injuring three construction workers travelling to a hydroelectric power plant.

From then on, rail travel was tainted in Iceland, and there has been opposition to any type of network ever since.

Whilst there have been numerous attempts to get the possibility off the ground in the 20th Century, plans have always fallen through.

Speculation is swirling that the Icelandic government intends to build a high-speed railway from its capital, Reykjavik, to the country’s main airport in Keflavik.

Charmingly named the “Lava Express” in a nod to Iceland’s volcanic activity, the line would make it easier for international tourists to traverse the tricky terrain.

Construction was due to begin in 2022, with the first passengers being welcomed on board in 2025.

Unfortunately, according to an article published by the Iceland Review, this project looks set for failure. Blaming problems with funding post-COVID, they said: “the project will not start any time soon.”

Residents also weighed in on the railway proposal, writing in an online forum.

One joked the Lava Express would only happen “when pigs fly”.

A more serious commenter said: “The infrastructure doesn’t make sense for such a small country”.

Indeed, almost half of Iceland’s population lives in its capital, and the rest reside in nearby smaller cities making a nation-wide railway system seem redundant.

However, those hoping to visit Iceland need not worry! Just as Icelanders have managed for over 100 years without public railways, so too will tourists.

Car travel is the easiest way to see the entire country, as its road network is sprawling and sophisticated. With the first car arriving on Iceland’s shore in 1904, it’s a mode of travel their population is familiar with.

Why not hire a campervan to spend your stay in, and sleep right under the Northern Lights?

Or, if you fancy a break from driving whilst on holiday, its inter-city coach system is highly-rated by both locals and visitors.