Train services to ferry terminals

[hermit]

I have used the bus connection from Hull Paragon to the P&O ferry to Zeebrugge. Only about half a dozen of us took it.
As it was a normal numbered bus service (albeit only one a day) I thought my old person‘s bus pass ought to be valid but the driver said no.

 

[berneyarms]

On the Irish side of things, the Fishguard ferry to Rosslare is useless for connecting with the trains, the ferry company adjusted the times and it now no longer meets the trains on either side of the crossing that it once did... it's an absolutely shocking experience.

Sorry, but that is not true at Rosslare. Three out of the four Stena Line sailings six days a week now have direct connections to or from Dublin Connolly and stations along the Irish east coast, the only one not connected being the 08:00 sailing from Rosslare.

That is most definitely an improvement.

The problems are on the Welsh side, but again are restricted to one sailing. The rail connection off the evening sailing from Rosslare now only takes passengers as far as Swansea where you would have to overnight, arriving there around midnight.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

The Harwich boat train service survives as it's just a stop on the regular train to Harwich Town, but I miss the dedicated InterCity services! I last used it in 2012, from memory there were a reasonable number of people getting off the train at Harwich International

A long lost ferry connection was Sheerness to Vlissingen, also in Holland, Sheerness station providing a convenient connection

I did that route once, many years ago. There was a bus from Sheerness on Sea Railway Station to the Ferry Terminal Building. We travelled from Holborn Viaduct on a Friday evening when there was a direct rush hour train to Sheerness, avoiding the need to change at Sittingbourne which you normally had to do, since the direct Sheerness trains from London Victoria ceased. The Ferry itself was very smart, I think for a short time the same firm, Olau? ran a service from Sheerness to Dunkirk.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Yes, I sometimes see the 327 outside Central Station. It does seem like quite a long distance for a transfer, but there isn't really a closer option (you definitely wouldn't want ferry passengers having to navigate the Metro with all their luggage).

The chances of them getting from the Metro station to the port with their luggage intact would be slim.

 

[SargeNpton]

The Harwich boat train service survives as it's just a stop on the regular train to Harwich Town, but I miss the dedicated InterCity services! I last used it in 2012, from memory there were a reasonable number of people getting off the train at Harwich International

A long lost ferry connection was Sheerness to Vlissingen, also in Holland, Sheerness station providing a convenient connection

There are still some Liverpool Street-Harwich International boat trains - which do not run on to Harwich Town.

 

[mpthomson]

Under 10,000 rail passengers a year according to latest available statistics, but there again, Heysham Port station does, normally, only receive the one service per day.

There's only one ferry a day (well, two but the other is around midnight and mainly used by freight), which explains it. It's been like that for probably over 30yrs.

 

[ashkeba]

There are still some Liverpool Street-Harwich International boat trains - which do not run on to Harwich Town.

0715 & 2045 Harwich Int-London LS and 1738, 1848, 1932 & 2102 return. There is also 0750 Harwich Int-Cambridge and 1947 return, which I understand used to run from Manchester or beyond says https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/the-north-country-continental.202833/

 

[pdeaves]

Don't see why not. I've previously got the Isle of Wight ferry from Southampton after a rail journey to Southampton Central. Bit of a schlep from the railway station to the ferry terminal, but I wasn't the only person making the transfer.

I think Southampton's important enough to run the trains anyway, even if the ferry wasn't there (which I take as the spirit of the question).

 

[Romsey]

Another suggestion, Mallaig for Armadale on Skye and the occasional ferries to Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna.
( Yes I have done the ferry to Eigg, mainly because Mrs R wanted to see the place after processing the administrative boundary changes for the Western Isles.)
PS we didn't get privs, I joined after the cut off date for privs on CalMac which was the end of 1972.

 

[TheSel]

Birkenhead Hamilton Square railway station to Twelve Quays is walkable (also by a courtesy bus) for the Belfast ferries.

... and an even shorter walk to Woodside Ferry terminal for the Mersey Ferries service to Liverpool, normally hourly but presently suspended due to Covid-19.

 

[thenorthern]

Heysham is indeed mostly port traffic, I have used the line just to say I had used it but most the passengers on it are ferry passengers.

Stranraer is one that is used quite a bit for port traffic.

Ryde Pier Head I think is mostly used for port traffic.

 

[DarloRich]

Oh I like a ferry!

I have used the following locations, all for train/ferry interactions:

• Heysham ( both car and train)
• Largs
• Holyhead ( rough crossing)
• Oban
• Birkenhead
• Ryde Esplanade / Portsmouth and Southsea for the Hovercraft to IoW
• Newhaven ( I was a kid at the time on a school trip to France so don't know which station it was. It was dark and late/early. I don't recall changing from Victoria but we must have, surely?)
• Percy Main Metro (outbound) and North Shields Metro ( inbound) for a booze cruise to Amsterdam. I was ROUGH on the way back.
• North Shields Metro and South Shields Metro for the Shields ferry
• Harwich PQ ( once as a kid on a family trip to Holland and once on a rail sail thing )
• Portsmouth Harbour / Ryde Pier
• Portsmouth Harbour ( Gosport ferry)
• Mallaig
• Kyle of Lochalsh ( when it was still a ferry to Skye - staying with friends who moved there so train all the way from Darlo. An adventure for a youngster!)
• Lymington Pier
• Gourock
• Wemyss Way
• Ardrossan Harbour ( is it EVER sunny there?)
• Lakeside on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway ( A really nice day out.)
• Kingswear on the Paignton and Dartmouth Railway

In no cases where there crowds of people carting steamer trunks and baggage sadly. I would say Portsmouth Harbour was the busiest and Largs the quietest

My GF has used both Aberdeen ( for both Orkney and Shetland) and Thurso for Scrabster. I have been to Thurso station before the Scrabster ferry but only in the camper van!

Ps:

• I should have Penzance on the list but the bloody sleeper was late and the boat had left. Never had a chance to go back.
• I should have Mallaig on the list twice but the second time the train to Kyle was late, the bus didn't wait and the booked taxi fuched off because he had and "an airport job" on. Raging.
• I have been to Stranraer on the train but never the boat.

 

[Ianno87]

Stranraer is one that is used quite a bit for port traffic.

Not since 2011 it hasn't.

 

[Mikey C]

0715 & 2045 Harwich Int-London LS and 1738, 1848, 1932 & 2102 return. There is also 0750 Harwich Int-Cambridge and 1947 return, which I understand used to run from Manchester or beyond says

Interesting, thinking back the train I took from Liverpool St back in 2012 maybe was a special boat train, though as it was a 321 it didn't feel very special

 

[tony6499]

• Newhaven ( I was a kid at the time on a school trip to France so don't know which station it was. It was dark and late/early. I don't recall changing from Victoria but we must have, surely?)

The boat train ran direct from Victoria to the Marine station so you wouldn't have changed coming from London

 

[deltic]

There are still some Liverpool Street-Harwich International boat trains - which do not run on to Harwich Town.

When I traveled on one last year to connect with the overnight ferry there were about half a dozen of us on it - possibly about 20 foot passengers alighted from the ferry at Hook

 

[DarloRich]

The boat train ran direct from Victoria to the Marine station so you wouldn't have changed coming from London

Cheers - when did that stop? I recall ( no doubt wrongly) we went straight from the train to the Dieppe boat.

 

[pdeaves]

Cheers - when did that stop? I recall ( no doubt wrongly) we went straight from the train to the Dieppe boat.

Here's an extract from Michael Quick's station chronology book:

Clo 11 November 1995 to 2 December 1995, inclusive, for engineering work. ceased to be
advertised (but single train still ran) 4 March 1996 wtt; last train ran 29 January 1999 as a result of withrawal of P & O Stena’s ferry
to Dieppe, reop 23 April 1999* for summer only Hoverspeed to Dieppe; in 2001 only used by one unadvertised service, to satisfy
legal requirements for ‘open’ line – by now not run in connection with shipping service

You may have travelled pre-1995 or possibly on an unadvertised train 1996-2000ish.

 

[DarloRich]

You may have travelled pre-1995 or possibly on an unadvertised train 1996-2000ish.

Thanks - It will have been in the 80's.

 

[philthetube]

Does Heysham still get a decent amount of passenger traffic. The last time I went to Ardossan Harbour hardly anyone got on the train after the ferry arrived.

Under 10,000 rail passengers a year according to latest available statistics, but there again, Heysham Port station does, normally, only receive the one service per day.

There's only one ferry a day (well, two but the other is around midnight and mainly used by freight), which explains it. It's been like that for probably over 30yrs.

Numbers are also restricted by capacity on the Ferry, it seems to be the only route I know where it is often fully loaded for foot passengers. I always try to travel that way but tickets are often not available.

Probably due to coaches.

 

[BayPaul]

Numbers are also restricted by capacity on the Ferry, it seems to be the only route I know where it is often fully loaded for foot passengers. I always try to travel that way but tickets are often not available.

Probably due to coaches.

Ben-my-Chree is a classic RoPax ferry - with a limited passenger capacity compared to the size of the vehicle deck - about 600 passengers, whilst she can carry around 275 cars, or 1200 metres of freight. When she is carrying mainly freight, there is plenty of space for passengers, but if there is a large load of cars or motorbikes, especially if there is a coach or two, passenger space can frequently be tight.

 

[Dr Day]

Worth bearing in mind the ORR data may only reflect tickets sold to (not via) a particular port - ie a Swansea-Wexford through ticket may not be recorded in the Fishguard Harbour figures.

Numbers will still be low, and reflect the minority business sail-rail is for both train operators and ferry operators.

 

[The Planner]

I did that route once, many years ago. There was a bus from Sheerness on Sea Railway Station to the Ferry Terminal Building. We travelled from Holborn Viaduct on a Friday evening when there was a direct rush hour train to Sheerness, avoiding the need to change at Sittingbourne which you normally had to do, since the direct Sheerness trains from London Victoria ceased. The Ferry itself was very smart, I think for a short time the same firm, Olau? ran a service from Sheerness to Dunkirk.

Yes, it was Olau that went from Sheerness, the boats went to P&O after I think.

 

[RichT54]

There was a plan a few years ago to develop the waterfront area in Southampton, which included the derelict Royal Pier and the current IOW ferry terminal (however, I believe the council cancelled it last year). Part of the plan involved moving the ferry terminal further east, possibly into the docks, or Ocean Village? If that plan were resurrected, perhaps it would be possible to restore a passenger station at the end of the branch line that comes into the docks from Northam, which would be a lot more convenient than Southampton Central.

 

[richard1976]

How many ferry passengers use Liverpool James Street for transfer to the Isle of Man ferry

 

[BayPaul]

Yes, it was Olau that went from Sheerness, the boats went to P&O after I think.

They did - when built Olau Britannia and Hollandia were built they were probably the best ferries in NW Europe. P&O got them as Pride of Portsmouth and Pride of Le Havre on very expensive charters once Olau shut down - the cost of the charters was one of the reasons for the eventual shut down of P&O in Portsmouth.

 

[seaviewer]

Newhaven Harbour has a DFDS service to Dieppe but cannot see this attracting much passenger traffic.

Edited to add comment re suspected lack of passenger traffic.

Newhaven Harbour is no longer the recommended station for the Dieppe ferry - you would need to walk back to Newhaven Town!
Very confusing! The ferry berth was moved north several years ago

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Worth bearing in mind the ORR data may only reflect tickets sold to (not via) a particular port - ie a Swansea-Wexford through ticket may not be recorded in the Fishguard Harbour figures.

Numbers will still be low, and reflect the minority business sail-rail is for both train operators and ferry operators.

You can't get Fishguard-Rosslare SailRail tickets that cover Irish Rail travel. The only available Swansea-Wexford through tickets are routed via Holyhead

That, or Clarbeston Road-Wexford via Holyhead, has to be one of the most circuitous "via" routes around!

 

[londonteacher]

Would the Calais Day-tripper ticket count? Anywhere on Southeastern to Dover and then the ferry across to Calais.

 

[InOban]

I think it would be better to distinguish between the small number of stations which are essentially dedicated to ferry traffic, such as Ardrossan harbour and Fishguard, and those which exist anyway but are useful for nearby ferries, such as Oban. Weemys Bay is in between. I would guess that most of the passengers are going to or from Bute, but there will be some who live locally.