Nereva Transit Vēla Tērnava Nerevaie
Pri Ni — About the Authority

We move an island that moves.
Ni movas insula kiu movas.

Nereva — Nerevaie in the local language — is a crescent volcanic island 14 km long, broken open to the south. The gap forms Miras Lago, a shallow lagoon 2.6 km across where 240,000 people live on the inner rim. North is Veltha ridge, 312 metres of basalt and pine, south is open Kōra Sea. Climate: subtropical maritime. January average 26°C, July 15°C. Mist at 06:00, trade wind by 10:00, rain that arrives sideways in February.

The city started as three fishing harbours — Forum, Sudporta and Sālina — speaking Nerevian, a language that kept Latin vocabulary but loosened its grammar on the water. For example: “Azūra Līna” is literally “Azure Line”, but Nerevian puts the adjective first and marks lines with Līna (feminine) even though a line is a road. Every station sign is bilingual: Nerevian on top (uppercased, as island tradition dictates), English below. The website keeps both, everywhere.

Authority — Vēla Tērnava Nerevaie

Founded: 1971 as Lagoon Ferry Service, unified 1994. The V.T.N. was created after the north-face landslide that cut the cliff road for six months. Parliament forced the ferry, the two bus companies and the half-built metro project into one authority with one ticket. Offices at 12 Forum Maris, above the interchange hall where you can still see the 1982 construction chalk marks: “Kora Lago”.

How we speak: short sentences, both languages, no jargon. “M1 — Azūra Līna — Azure Line” is not decoration — inland workers who grew up speaking Nerevian at home need it; tourists need English. Announcements are in Nerevian first, then English, then a bell. Drivers call “Kambio” for interchange.

Network — Five lines, three modes

M1 Azūra Līna (Azure) and M2 Korrāla Līna (Coral) are metro — cut-and-cover through the Forum, bored through basalt north of Forum. M1 climbs 250 m from Aerodroma to Veltha Alta; it has rack assist north of Kethra Porta. M2 crosses the lagoon in a immersed tube tunnel built 1999–2003; you can feel the pressure change in your ears between Forum and Telara.

T1 Rīva Līna (Rim) is the loop that gives the city its rhythm. Low-floor, 25 m long, runs anticlockwise only. If you live in Nora Riva you take T1 to the market and back. T2 Jēra Līna (Garden) runs from the west cliffs through the botanical gardens to Sudporta; it carries students, orchids, and on Fridays, beehives (rear compartment, permit required).

F1 Brīza Līna (Breeze) ferry: five piers around the lagoon plus Mikra Mora and Kōkha Ora, tidal islets with no roads. The islets have 120 and 34 residents respectively; the ferry is their post, grocery and ambulance. Capacity: 148 passengers, 20 bicycles. No motor vehicles. Open deck compulsory for viewing.

Language — Linga Nerevaie

Nerevian is written with macrons ā ē ī ō ū to mark long vowels inherited from island Portuguese and a constructed orthography from 1934. English loanwords are rare — the island was never colonised long enough. Place names are descriptive:

  • Sālina — salt pans (still harvested, pink in August)
  • Kethra Porta — gate of Kethra (the old north wall, demolished 1910, name remains)
  • Mikas Mora — small Mora (Mora is the old name for the whole lagoon)
  • Kōkha Ora — shell islet (kōkha = shell, ora = islet/prayer stone)
  • Jāra Sud — south gardens (jāra = garden, sud = south wind)

For this bench, every public-facing name is consistent: if it says NORA RIVA — North Shore on the map, the timetable says the same and the departure board draws from the same list. Interchanges line up between lines — Forum is always FORUM, not sometimes “Central”.

Fares that add up — Preza kiu sumas

We price by zones, not distance, because the lagoon makes distance lie. Swimming from Forum to Sālina is 1.8 km; walking is 6.2 km. Zone pricing: same zone Ŕ2.40, two zones Ŕ3.60, three zones Ŕ5.00. Islet supplement Ŕ1.20 because fuel. Day pass Ŕ11 breaks even after three 2-zone rides — we designed it that way so commuters doing home–work–market–home don’t think. Monthly Ŕ98 is about nine day passes; if you work five days you save.

Accessibility — Akseso

All tram stops are level. All metro stations have elevators except Kethra Porta (escalators only, alternative via T1 to Norna Citadela, 120 m flat). Ferry piers at Miras Lago and Forum Kava have automatic ramps; Brīna Kava and Sālina have manual ramps (staff call button). Mikra Mora pier is tidal — at low tide below 0.3 m, disembarkation requires crew assistance. All vehicles have visual and audio announcements in both languages. Guide dogs welcome everywhere.

Lost property — Perdita poseda

Each vehicle is swept at terminus. Items are tagged with line, time, and car number, taken to Forum Central Lost Property (Level -1, near exit C) by 20:00 same day. Contact: +678 23 44 22, lost@vtn.nerevaie.nr. Perishables destroyed same day. ID held 30 days, non-ID 14 days, high-value (electronics, jewellery) 90 days. No fee, but ID required.

Mark — Signo

The mark is the lagoon: a broken ring open to the sea at the south, with an islet dot inside. It works at 16 px because it has only two parts: stroke and dot. It is not a letter — it is the island. Drawn as SVG path, not a font.