Réunion possesses a network of highways, which cover a total distance of 2,784 km. Of that length, 2,187 km of the road system is paved. There are no roads going into the cirqueofMafate; thus transportation there has to take place by foot or helicopter.
There are two major ports in Réunion: Le Port and Pointe des Galets. There are six marinas. Réunion possesses a merchant marine of one ship with a weight exceeding 1,000 gt, which is a chemical tanker.
There are no railways in Réunion, with the exception of a short tourist line, which was originally part of a larger rail network. A 42 kmlight rail project was cancelled in 2010, after a regional government change in 2010, mostly because the project was considered too expensive (€1.6 billion). The region's new president chose to fund a new coastal road instead.[1] In 2019 a new light rail system was proposed to link Le Barachois with the airport.[2]
Due to huge traffic congestion, channelled by the rough topography on the main coastal road, public authorities invested in a cable car transportation system, linking two districts of Saint-Denis : Le Chaudron to Bois de Nèfles, with three intermediate stops.[3] Built by POMA, a leading French company in cable car systems,[4] it opened in March 2022. With 46 cabins, it is designed to transport up to 1200 persons per hour. This cable car is the first in the whole Indian Ocean.
Boulogne, Eric (2005). Le petit train longtemps (in French). Le Mans: Ed. Cénomane. ISBN2902808410.
Robinson, Neil (2009). World Rail Atlas and Historical Summary. Volume 7: North, East and Central Africa. Barnsley, UK: World Rail Atlas Ltd. ISBN978-954-92184-3-5.
This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.
