Transport on Saint Helena


This article deals with traffic in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, that is all forms of traffic in the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

Saint Helena

Road traffic

The island of Saint Helena has a road network, consisting of of paved and of unpaved road. Most roads are single-lane, and uphill traffic has a right of way. A general speed limit of applies to the entire island. On Saint Helena there is a public bus network that currently serves five routes, but has been expanded since September 2015 and since March 2016 and numerous new routes in October 2017.

Shipping

The M/V Helena serves the island from Cape Town on a monthly basis.
Saint Helena has a feeder and a harbour:
With the opening of Saint Helena Airport, scheduled flights have been operated since 14 October 2017. The new airport is served weekly from Johannesburg via Windhoek.

Rail traffic

In 1829, the Saint Helena Railway Company opened a horse-drawn railway from Jamestown to Half Tree Hollow, which was also known as Ladder Hill Railway. The main purpose was to transport goods from the port of Jamestown to the higher houses. The service was discontinued in 1871.
Another rail network was built for the seawater desalination plant in Rupert's Valley. Details of the track are not known.

Ascension

Road traffic

On Ascension there is a road network of, which is continuously paved. The public bus transport network has four stops.

Shipping

has a feeder in the island's capital Georgetown. The port was modernized in 2011 with a new crane, among other things.

Air traffic

With Wideawake Airfield, Ascension has had an airport since 1943. This will be used primarily for military purposes, but since October 2017 it will also be served by scheduled services from Saint Helena.

Tristan da Cunha

Road traffic

has a road network of, half of which is paved or half unpaved. The island has probably the smallest public bus network in the world. The fleet of minibuses is available to pensioners free of charge.

Shipping

The shipping traffic is of outstanding importance for Tristan da Cunha, which has no airfield. All goods and travellers can only reach the island by sea. Tristan da Cunha is approached irregularly from Cape Town by MFV Geo Searcher, MFV Edinburgh, M/V Baltic Trader, S. A. Agulhas II.
Tristan da Cunha has with the Calshot Harbour a port in Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. The port was comprehensively renovated at the beginning of 2017. It is 2 meters deep and takes only smaller boats. All larger ships have to stay offshore and both passengers and cargo have to be transferred to small boats.

Air traffic

has no airport on the island.