61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
A bit of a leap, this one...but there used to be public "Water Bus" services along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal a short walk from Bingley station, which took users up the three- and five-rise-locks.
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Train services to ferry terminals
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AlbertBeale
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Well - that's the most charming little human-scale ferry mentioned so far, I guess. But whether it counts as having a "decent amount" of traffic, as per the start of this thread... Though for its size it does, perhaps - I've had to queue for one of the handful of places on it on a sunny summer weekend!
Others on the Thames not mentioned include the historic (and free) Woolwich Ferry. Admittedly, the sad closure of the North London Line beyond Stratford some years back means there's no longer a station immediately on the other side of the road from the north terminal (I've used the connection both on foot and when on the train with my bike in years gone by), but there's still the King George V DLR station within a quarter of a mile or so. (Which is closer than St Margarets is to that rowing boat in the above example!)
And then there's the useful (for some) ferry across the Thames a similar short walkable distance (about a quarter of a mile) from Canary Wharf DLR [it must be at least as close as the "interchange" between Canary Wharf DLR and Canary Wharf tube...!]; it runs from very early until very late, 7 days a week, and takes you to the Doubletree Hotel on the Surrey side. It's also free, for reasons I don't understand the history of - perhaps there's some sort of legal agreement for the hotel to subsidise it, though you don't have to be connected to the hotel to use it, and it operates like the regular Thames Clipper services (ie you can take a bike on it).
theironroad
Established Member
Would have been nice to do as an experience as i find the 3/5 locks fascinating, but wow that would be a slow 'bus'. Nice walk though.
Not sure how you've used it for free? The official fare for those not staying at the hotel is an eyewateringly expensive East Zone fare
AlbertBeale
Established Member
Well - I must have been lucky. I only remember using it once, some years ago, and I wasn't asked to pay (though I was seemingly coming "from the hotel" onto the dock); I'm sure I didn't look like respectable hotel resident material! But I had my bike with me ... maybe that confused them. I've found that if you're with a pushbike you sometimes "don't fit the system" and people just let you through places. (I once made it right through from Dover to Calais - with a foot passenger ticket - with my bike, and didn't get any ticket, passport, or boarding card checked on either side, because I "fell through the gap" of being neither a regular foot passenger nor a motorist. Probably wouldn't happen like that now, though!)
ruaival
Member
Nil traffic now ... but Waterloo to Weymouth Pier, running down the harbour road amongst the parked cars; back in the day was great to see with a bell ringing on the front.
March 2019 I visited Weymouth after decades away and those memories brought cheer to the older pub occupants
March 2019 I visited Weymouth after decades away and those memories brought cheer to the older pub occupants
delt1c
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Not sure if the original poster meant specific ferry services like the Holyhead and Stranraer services . If this is so then Mallaig and Oban wouldnt count as the ferry service is adjacent to the station and the train service not run around the ferry service.
Well quite, neither rail traffic nor ferry traffic! And no reality where either will ever return.
One I'm curious about- did Plymouth's cross-channel ferries ever have direct connection to rail services? Was there ever a station at the current location, or was it at another location?
And with Portsmouth international ferries- those used to be mainly from Southampton, once upon a time, yes?
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nanstallon
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That can't have been a comfortable place to wait.
On this note there’s a destination pre-loaded into Fujitsu STAR mobile app ticketing machines as “Liverpool Landing Stage” (none for Seacombe or Birkenhead which I’m presuming means its referring the cruise terminal rather than local ferry terminal)
However out of my own curiosity, I’ve never been able to find a single ticket that I’ve been able to sell to this destination to see what this actually refers to or it’s validity!
alistairlees
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It's not a fare destination. It's to provide an itinerary for fares to or from Douglas (IoM). An itinerary would be: [starting station] - Liverpool Lime Street - Liverpool Landing Stage - Douglas (IoM). The fare would be [starting station] - Douglas (IoM). A few other places perform the same function - Hull Bus Station, for example.
Scotrail314209
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Ardrossan Harbour tends to have quite a few travelling to Arran on a Saturday morning. (The 08:33 was full and standing the front coach once as it connects with the 09:45 sailing). Sometimes the ferry departs late due to it waiting for the train connection from Glasgow.
daodao
Established Member
The April 1910 Bradshaw lists the following steamer services from Plymouth:
- Weekly to Cork (City of Cork Steam Packet Co.)
- Twice weekly on the route Dublin-Falmouth-Plymouth-Southampton-Portsmouth-London (B&I Steam Packet Co.)
- Weekly to Guernsey, Jersey and St. Brieuc (SS Devonia)
DanBlanchflowe
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Well we have travelled twice to Percy Main Station on the Metro. Then 15 mins walk with our rucksacs to North Shields Ferry terminal!!
Western 52
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I've done that quite often. Quite convenient apart from trying to cross busy roads with loads of luggage!
Western 52
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Carmarthen Bay Ferries have a seasonal service from Ferryside to Llansteffan. No through tickets but connects with trains at Ferryside.
mailbyrail
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Don't think anybody has mentioned Starcross to Exmouth ferry.
Only ever been accessible by walking along the platform at Starcross. Used to be through train tickets and railway parcels via the ferry. The timetable was included in GWR and BR timetables. Never a railway owned service though
Only ever been accessible by walking along the platform at Starcross. Used to be through train tickets and railway parcels via the ferry. The timetable was included in GWR and BR timetables. Never a railway owned service though
I believe that there were once non-stop trains from Starcross to Paddington, presumably GWR trying to compete with the LSWR all-rail route for the Exmouth traffic.
notlob.divad
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It will be a darn sight less convenient when the new terminal eventually opens.
SargeNpton
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Largs for the Cumbrae Ferry sees quite a bit of traffic - especially day trippers from Glasgow and Paisley.
clagmonster
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Where is the new terminal to be sited? I was supposed to be on the IoM this week, however circumstances put paid to that. James St to Pier Head walk over the road was my intended route, even with luggage.
notlob.divad
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The new terminal is under construction alongside Princes Half-Tide Dock. Road access will be via Jesse Hartley Way off Waterloo Road, but there is apparently going to be pedestrian access from Princess Parade next to the Cargo restaurant. So the walk from James Street will be over 1 km and about the same from Moorfields.
What about the Hythe Pier railway and the ferry to Southampton?
The old N Woolwich station was next to the Woolwich Free ferry berth. Did that interchange when I used to mileage bash in London. Cl 313's on the train then.
And of course Bristol Temple Meads has a ferry service to central Bristol But that's suspended cos of COVID.
The old N Woolwich station was next to the Woolwich Free ferry berth. Did that interchange when I used to mileage bash in London. Cl 313's on the train then.
And of course Bristol Temple Meads has a ferry service to central Bristol But that's suspended cos of COVID.
swt_passenger
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It was noted in post #37.
You could argue that 1A17 0715 Intl to Liv St, and 2W06 0750 to Cambridge, are the current day 'Boats' that meet the overnight ferry, and 1A98 from Liv St (arr 2228) and 2A48 from Cambridge (arr 2128) 'Boats' for the outbound night ferry.
to meet the day ferry outbound you have 2A04 ex Lowestift arriving at 0724, and 1A04 ex Liv St, arriving at 0809, although that is a Town service, all the other terminate/start at International
But of course all formed of 321's and 755's
Not sure if it counts, or if it's been mentioned, but Birkenhead Hamilton Square has a fairly poorly advertised free bus for Stena passengers shuttling between the station and Twelve Quays Stena Line terminal for Belfast ferries. The bus is operated by Happy Als coaches and only around certain times of day when the ferry has arrived or is due to depart. The station itself is busy, but very few people use the shuttle bus. It isn't signposted at all, no specific times for the bus published, and most times you see the bus it is empty. Most passengers for the ferry use the service bus 409/411 which stops outside the Terminal. There are a fair few people who change at the station for the ferry though.
EDIT ~ The terminal is probably a mile or so from the terminal, Plenty of passengers walk the distance.
EDIT ~ The terminal is probably a mile or so from the terminal, Plenty of passengers walk the distance.
Stena Galloway
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I think the bus service has now stopped operating.
philthetube
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you may well be right though it was operating last year as I used it.
The same bus is used to take foot passengers on and off the ferry from the terminal ond does a did a run up to the station after, there were about 20 on it when I used it, there must have been around an 100 foot passengers on board the ferry as the double deck had to do two trips.
The same bus is used to take foot passengers on and off the ferry from the terminal ond does a did a run up to the station after, there were about 20 on it when I used it, there must have been around an 100 foot passengers on board the ferry as the double deck had to do two trips.
Stena Galloway
Member
I checked the Stena website after I read this. They tell you to get a taxi to get to the terminal now as the bus no longer operates.
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