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As of 2023, [[Iceland]] does not have a public [[railway]] system. However, there have been three small railways in the past. The main reasons for the lack of railways are the small population, competition with [[automobile]] traffic, and the harsh environment.
There were persistent discussions for a railway in Iceland in the first half to the 20th century, the first made in 1906, involving a line to [[Reykjavík]], [[Selfoss (town)|Selfoss]] and the [[Þjórsá]] river, but none of them proceeded. However, a [[900 mm gauge railways|900 mm]] [[narrow-gauge railway]] was used for the construction of the Reykjavik Harbour from 1913
In the 2010s, there were new proposals for both a [[light railway]] system in the [[Capital Region (Iceland)|Capital Region]] and an [[airport rail link]] to [[Keflavík International Airport|Keflavík]].
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=== Track network ===
[[File:Map of Reykjavík Harbour Railway.jpg|thumb|Reykjavík Harbour Railway from 1920 by N. P. Kirk]]The railway system initially operated a network of around
From the first junction a second line ran east around farms to a locomotive depot just outside the city, located close to where the National Hospital, [[Landspítali]], is today. The railway was extended in 1920, when the second phase of the harbour was constructed. The {{convert|1.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} extension from the depot was constructed, which ran on to a further junction where a short branch line led into a secondary quarrying site. The main line continued to a further junction on the edge of the docks. From there, one line ran along the quayside Kolabakki (where one of the locomotives is today preserved on display, by Austurhöfn), whilst the other ran out along the eastern harbour wall.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kirk|first=N. P.|year=1902|title=Map of Reykjavík Harbour Railway|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Reykjav%C3%ADk_Harbour_Railway.jpg|journal=Minjasafnið|language=en}}</ref>
The final size of the network was approximately {{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} with a gauge of {{RailGauge|900mm|lk=on}} [[narrow gauge]] and a rail weight of {{convert|22.5|kg/m|lbs/yd|abbr=on}}. The steepest sections were 1:40 gradient and the tightest curves had a radius of {{convert|55|m|yd|abbr=on}}.
The last remains of railway track were dismantled in 1940-1945 after the [[British invasion of Iceland]] during the construction of the [[Reykjavík Airport]]. Today none of the track remains.
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[[Image:RHR-Minor.JPG|thumb|right|Locomotive ''Minør'' as preserved today]]The railway was operated by two [[steam locomotive]]s built by the [[Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik]] of Germany, both of which have been preserved. Built in the 1890s in Germany, they worked briefly in Denmark before being imported to Iceland in 1913 for the harbour railway project. Locomotive ''Pioner'' is now a static exhibit at the Icelandic Folk Museum at Arbær, [[Árbær Museum]], whilst locomotive ''Minør'', after many years of storage in a [[Nissen hut]] under piles of rubbish, is now an open-air static exhibit in Reykjavík.<ref name=":0" /> A scale model of part of the railway, showing one of the locomotives at work, is displayed in the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. ''Minør'' was the first to be withdrawn, whilst ''Pioner'' (which had received a replacement boiler in 1910 to extend its life) continued to operate until the railway closed in 1928.
The locomotives had an operating pressure of {{convert|180|psi|MPa|abbr=on}} and a power of around {{convert|150|hp|kW|abbr=on}}. The locomotives ran at a maximum of {{convert|50|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.
The main vehicles on the railway was a fleet of 60 four-wheeled [[open wagon]]s. Two types of wagons were operated, one for large boulders and another for sand with [[Open wagon#Side-tipping wagons|fully-opening sides]] for loading and unloading. The wagons were not outfitted with brakes. Some of the wagons were modified and outfitted with rudimentary benches to transport workers and dignitaries for some press events, regular passenger transport was prohibited for safety reasons. All of the wagons were sold to Poland when the operations of the railway ceased. The typical operation used a rake was 20 wagons with around 7 to 8 trips a day on the western branch and 17 trips a day on the eastern branch.<ref name=":1" />
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* Coal from the harbour to local distributors.
The railway was again used for other purposes in 1926 during the construction of [[Landspítali]] when cement and aggregate was transported from the harbour and one of the quarries.
==Kárahnjúkar light railway==
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More recently, a private group has been looking into the idea of an airport railway. In 2014, a feasibility study was undertaken by Ráðgjöf og verkefnastjórnun, which declared that a [[High-speed rail|high speed]] [[Airport rail link|airport railway]] would be feasible with the increasing numbers of tourists coming to Iceland, and passenger numbers at [[Keflavík International Airport]]. The project has begun looking for funding and has had talks with the local municipalities about the planning and alignment of the railway.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mbl.is/vidskipti/frettir/2016/09/02/somdu_um_hradlest_a_sudurnesjum/|title=Sömdu um hraðlest á Suðurnesjum|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref>
The [[Railway electrification|electrified railway]] would run double tracked from the airport, roughly parallel to the current road, and would then be situated in tunnels from [[Hafnarfjörður|Hafnafjörður]], with a terminal at Reykjavík's main bus station BSÍ. The construction would be {{convert|49|km|mi|abbr=on}} above ground and {{convert|14|km|mi|abbr=on}} in tunnels. The maximum operating speed would be {{convert|250|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and the journey would take 15 minutes. In 2015, "Fluglestin Þróunarfélag ehf." was created, with the intention of acquiring funding for the project and planning. The proposed English name for the project is "Lava Express". It was initially planned for construction to start in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2016/10/06/work_on_iceland_s_new_250_km_h_airport_train_to_beg/|title=Work on Iceland’s new 250 km/h airport train to begin in 2020|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref>
In 2019, all municipalities the rail line would pass through, except [[Hafnarfjörður]], had approved a cooperation agreement on zoning related to the project, with ''Morgunblaðið'' reporting that a meeting with the mayor of Hafnarfjörður has been scheduled.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://standbynordic.com/iceland-airport-train-still-on-track/|title=Iceland airport train still on track|date=9 April 2019}}</ref> Due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Iceland's tourism industry, the project was put on hold for a few years, however little progress had been made in the years prior.
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