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Ferry still popular despite New Tunnel
Pride of the Tyne ... the Shields ferry.
FERRY passengers have refused to sell the service down the river despite competition from the improved second Tyne Tunnel.
Transport chiefs say as many travellers have used the South Shields and North Shields crossing in the past three months as before that.
They were concerned the revamped tunnel’s opening last November, which created two lanes in both directions, could lead to a hefty drop.
That happened in 1967 when the original tunnel opened, with ferries that carried 400,000 cars across the river each year soon vanishing.
But commuters and other users have stayed loyal this time around and 500,000 passengers are again expected to use the service this year.
Shields Ferry manager Carol Timlin said: “The ferry remains a popular service with commuters and the increasing number of visitors to the region every year.
“Records show that the former Tyne car ferry service did suffer when the original Tyne Tunnel was opened up.
“So far we have not seen a similar drop off in pedestrian usage as a result of the new tunnel.”
She added: “The ferry is a vital link between the centres of North and South Shields for people working in the respective town centres.
“A river crossing is a great way to get to work and many passengers tell the crew they much prefer it to using the car.
“There’s no doubt the new Tyne Tunnel has helped to ease congestion, which is a good thing, but the Shields Ferry service still has a vital role to play.”
Transport operator Nexus owns and runs the two ferries – Pride of the Tyne and Spirit of the Tyne – with crossings taking just seven minutes.
Nexus, which also runs the Metro rail service, says passenger numbers have increased steadily since 2008.
The opening of the original tunnel also led to the closure of the Mid Tyne passenger ferry between Jarrow and Howdon, which featured in the Michael Caine film Get Carter.
Records show a ferry service between North Shields and South Shields has operated since at least 1377.
Nexus, formerly the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, took over the Shields Ferry in 1972.
Twitter: @shieldsgazette
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Weather for Jarrow
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
bohemianblogger
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 05:05 PMThe ferry is part of our heritage, I was always taken across as a kid and my kids love going across on the ferry, even in middle of winter! Lose the ferry we lose our history.
bewilderedonlooker
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 03:31 PMLots of people used the ferry to avoid the ques at the tunnel, perhaps they feared that with the ques gone people would now drive, but that over looks the other issues with driving to South Shields compared with the ferry - the cost, a retern ticket on the ferry is cheaper than the tunnels discounted rate, and more importantly parking once you get to south shields.
Cobbler
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 02:43 PMIs it just me? Why would the opening of a second road tunnel affect the passengers on a pedestrian ferry? Aye, the opening of the old Tyne Tunnel was bound to kill off the car ferry?...
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