A new ferry will not solve Fugloy’s daily travel problem

A new ferry to Fugloy will not address the difficulties faced by residents who need to travel to work or school every day, young people who have moved away from the island told KVF. They say Fugloy could become exclusively a tourist destination within a few decades unless it is connected to the rest of the country.

At a conference on remote islands in Klaksvík over the weekend, speakers repeatedly noted that young people are drawn to central areas, where nearly all jobs for people with higher education are located.

Sisters Rutt Andrasdóttir, 18, and Bjørt Andrasdóttir, 23, and their uncle Elmar í Frammistovu, 27, are all from Fugloy and moved away for education. None expects to return to live on the island under current conditions.

A new ferry is being planned to replace the old Rita on the route serving Svínoy and Fugloy. But Rutt and Bjørt say it would not solve the problem of daily travel for work or school. They suggest a metro as a possible alternative to the unreliable ferry service.