Train services to ferry terminals

[berneyarms]

The single sailings in each direction each day on Belfast/Cairnryan on which Sail/Rail is offered do have a bus connection at Belfast’s ferry terminal which is what matters though.

 

[Altnabreac]

No one has mentioned Fort William for Camusnagaul yet. Bit of a walk these days, the old station location was much handier for the ferry.

I'd guess that it might be the ferry connection used by the lowest percentage of arriving rail passengers in a station, much more aimed at Ardgour locals doing their shopping in the Fort.

 

[sarahj]

For the Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry, that change is at Town rather than Harbour. Despite the signs and announcements, you still get the odd one or two. Most just go 'are you sure' when you tell them where to change. It's about a 5 min walk. Across the level crossing and into the port. During the summer you might get 5 per train. On the returns I've had up to 30 waiting. A lot of bikes are often involved.

I remember the old train ferry. My last was in about 1992. Boat train from Victoria to Dover marine. Bus from Marine to Eastern Docks. RMT Ferry Prins Filip* to Ostend. Train to Basle. Also did Folkstone to Calais back in the late 70's. I remember taking an age for the train to reverse into the harbour. Calais couchette to Luzern.

IIRC the Harwich boat train was the UK's one and only EC (euro city) train when that brand was introduced. BR were very proud.

*Prins Filip now called Calais Seaways and runs Dover to Calais ferries. I made sure I travelled on it a couple of years ago. Still had the old lounges that were needed on the longer Ostend crossing. Happy memories.

 

[BayPaul]

Despite the signs and announcements, you still get the odd one or two.

I noticed when I was double checking I hadn't missed any connecting routes when I put together my list of numbers above that the projectmapping maps on the National Rail site still show the connection as to Harbour. It also shows ferries sailing from Weymouth. It doesn't help when official info gets it wrong!

 

[unlevel42]

This is the one I drive to/ from https://www.stenaline.co.uk/routes/cairnryan-belfast/cairnryan-port. Before admittedly in winter, I've arrived 45 mins before the ferry and had to bang on the door to get it opened so I could use the loo!

You are lucky they let you in at all, as check in for foot passengers may well have closed. Foot passenger check in time was a minimum of 45 minutes, in recent times it is indicated on your booking and can be much longer.

 

[paul1609]

You are lucky they let you in at all, as check in for foot passengers may well have closed. Foot passenger check in time was a minimum of 45 minutes, in recent times it is indicated on your booking and can be much longer.

This wasnt check in this was the terminal building, eventually about another 6 people turned up. I was meeting people coming from Belfast, their flight had been cancelled.

 

[Southsider]

Mention of the connecting services to the continent from Harwich reminded me of this gem of a picture from Birmingham New Street in 1986:






Of the numerous times I've been it was sunny there once in the spring of 2017!
Naturally that was the time I was going hiking on Arran and got burned to a crisp

Another view of Ardrossan
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-sc...ised-for-berthing-lurching-ferry-at-ardrossan

 

[vlad]

No one has mentioned Fort William for Camusnagaul yet. Bit of a walk these days, the old station location was much handier for the ferry.

If that counts then I'm putting forward St Margarets for the passenger ferry to Ham House.

 

[ashkeba]

If that counts then I'm putting forward St Margarets for the passenger ferry to Ham House.

Bristol Temple Meads for the Bristol Ferry?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Which train services to/from UK ferry terminals still attract (in normal circumstances) a decent amount of passenger traffic, and which, by contrast, are scarcely still worth running?

Just a reminder that I wasn't looking for some great big list of random train-ferry connections; this was intended to be more of a discussion as regards which train services to UK ferry terminals are still attracting a decent amount of passenger traffic, and which that simply aren't.

 

[alistairlees]

Perhaps it would help if it was agreed what is actually constitutes a train service / ferry terminal. I suggest:
- it's advertised as such and it is possible to buy through tickets
- the railway station and ferry terminal are immediately adjacent or there is a walk or transfer link in the data
- a member of the public would recognise this as being a single journey, involving two (or more) modes of transport

Using that, in England and Wales I can think of:
- Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
- Portsmouth Harbour - Gosport
- Portsmouth & Southsea - Southsea Hoverport - Ryde Hoverport - Ryde Esplanade
- Southampton Central - Southampton Town Quay - West Cowes / East Cowes
- Lymington Pier - Yarmouth
- Heysham - Douglas
- Holyhead - Dublin
- Fishguard Harbour - Rosslare
- Newhaven Town - Newhaven Port - Dieppe
- Penzance - Penzance Quay - Scilly Isles
- Harwich International - Hook of Holland
- Gravesend - Tilbury Riverside - Tilbury Town (there are through fares from Kent to Essex stations)

Where the rail service and the ferry terminal are immediately adjacent I've put them in bold.

Birkenhead, Hull, Liverpool and Newcastle all feel a bit distant from stations to count, but maybe I'm being a bit unfair on Birkenhead which has through ticketing. Maybe Pemroke to Rosslare counts too. No doubt I've missed something off.

Perhaps someone can add the Scottish ones.

 

[jopsuk]

- Harwich International - Hook of Holland
.

How bout this as a minor alteration- although I think it may be unique, the only mainland Europe port with a ferry from Britain that still has a railway connection at the port (now Metro, but still very much rail!)

 

[berneyarms]

Perhaps it would help if it was agreed what is actually constitutes a train service / ferry terminal. I suggest:
- it's advertised as such and it is possible to buy through tickets
- the railway station and ferry terminal are immediately adjacent or there is a walk or transfer link in the data
- a member of the public would recognise this as being a single journey, involving two (or more) modes of transport

Using that, in England and Wales I can think of:
- Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
- Portsmouth Harbour - Gosport
- Portsmouth & Southsea - Southsea Hoverport - Ryde Hoverport - Ryde Esplanade
- Southampton Central - Southampton Town Quay - West Cowes / East Cowes
- Lymington Pier - Yarmouth
- Heysham - Douglas
- Holyhead - Dublin
- Fishguard Harbour - Rosslare
- Newhaven Town - Newhaven Port - Dieppe
- Penzance - Penzance Quay - Scilly Isles
- Harwich International - Hook of Holland
- Gravesend - Tilbury Riverside - Tilbury Town (there are through fares from Kent to Essex stations)

Where the rail service and the ferry terminal are immediately adjacent I've put them in bold.

Birkenhead, Hull, Liverpool and Newcastle all feel a bit distant from stations to count, but maybe I'm being a bit unfair on Birkenhead which has through ticketing. Maybe Pemroke to Rosslare counts too. No doubt I've missed something off.

Perhaps someone can add the Scottish ones.

There is no through ticketing on Rosslare-Pembroke.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

How bout this as a minor alteration- although I think it may be unique, the only mainland Europe port with a ferry from Britain that still has a railway connection at the port (now Metro, but still very much rail!)

OK, on that thread, what about Harlingen Haven and Eemshaven in Northeast Netherlands, for boats to Terschelling, Vlieland and Borkum, also at Borkum, where there is a small railway that goes to the main town on that Island. Possibly in Germany also Warnemunde and I think one of the branches on Rugen Island/Racing Roland also has a station by a small jetty and in Norway at Flam, the ferries are very close to the station there.

Back in the UK Sheerness used to have a Dockyard Station, I think rails still exist for some freight traffic.

 

[paul1609]

Perhaps it would help if it was agreed what is actually constitutes a train service / ferry terminal. I suggest:
- it's advertised as such and it is possible to buy through tickets
- the railway station and ferry terminal are immediately adjacent or there is a walk or transfer link in the data
- a member of the public would recognise this as being a single journey, involving two (or more) modes of transport

Using that, in England and Wales I can think of:
- Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
- Portsmouth Harbour - Gosport
- Portsmouth & Southsea - Southsea Hoverport - Ryde Hoverport - Ryde Esplanade
- Southampton Central - Southampton Town Quay - West Cowes / East Cowes
- Lymington Pier - Yarmouth
- Heysham - Douglas
- Holyhead - Dublin
- Fishguard Harbour - Rosslare
- Newhaven Town - Newhaven Port - Dieppe
- Penzance - Penzance Quay - Scilly Isles
- Harwich International - Hook of Holland
- Gravesend - Tilbury Riverside - Tilbury Town (there are through fares from Kent to Essex stations)

Where the rail service and the ferry terminal are immediately adjacent I've put them in bold.

Birkenhead, Hull, Liverpool and Newcastle all feel a bit distant from stations to count, but maybe I'm being a bit unfair on Birkenhead which has through ticketing. Maybe Pemroke to Rosslare counts too. No doubt I've missed something off.

Perhaps someone can add the Scottish ones.

I don't think Birkenhead has through tickets anymore? Dover is another marginal one it still has the through Calais tickets. I'd say there is still a fair bit of traffic to and from the ferry port at Priory although no longer a bus link.

 

[berneyarms]

I don't think Birkenhead has through tickets anymore? Dover is another marginal one it still has the through Calais tickets. I'd say there is still a fair bit of traffic to and from the ferry port at Priory although no longer a bus link.

You’re correct about Birkenhead. No Sail/Rail option.

 

[unlevel42]

The single sailings in each direction each day on Belfast/Cairnryan on which Sail/Rail is offered do have a bus connection at Belfast’s ferry terminal which is what matters though.

The Belfast 96 bus terminates at the Stena Cairnryan ferry terminal and stops on the main road outside(no shelter anywhere near) the Stena terminal for Birkenhead also it is normal for people to share (fill!) a taxi to the centre or better order one.

 

[AlbertBeale]

In case it's of interest/relevance here, note that there was quite a lengthy thread on rail-ferry connections in the International Transport section of the forum a while back. Though, of course, not therefore dealing with Portsmouth-Ryde etc, however much the Isle of Wight can seem a different country...

See - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/rail-ferry-connections-present-and-future.189175/

 

[30907]

OK, on that thread, what about Harlingen Haven and Eemshaven in Northeast Netherlands, for boats to Terschelling, Vlieland and Borkum, also at Borkum, where there is a small railway that goes to the main town on that Island. Possibly in Germany also Warnemunde and I think one of the branches on Rugen Island/Racing Roland also has a station by a small jetty and in Norway at Flam, the ferries are very close to the station there.

Not sure these have a connection from Britain?
A thread about Mainland Europe ferry terminals would be interesting though (though less so than even a year ago).

 

[Tetchytyke]

The key sailing is probably the 02:15 departure from Heysham, getting into Douglas at 06:00 - the perfect time for freight heading to shops.

Definitely. Freight is the key for the Heysham ferry. Just as it is for everything from Heysham, which is also a thriving port for Seatruck Ferries to Ireland. As the name suggests, they don't really do passengers.

The ferry rotation the train connects into is pretty good for passengers, though. And the Liverpool ferry doesn't run in winter.

 

[alangla]

A retro one you’d never guess today- Craigendoran used to have an electrified platform to serve shipping from the adjacent pier https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigendoran_railway_station

 

[Southsider]

A retro one you’d never guess today- Craigendoran used to have an electrified platform to serve shipping from the adjacent pier https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigendoran_railway_station

I remember it well, used to go fishing off one of the two piers.

 

[theironroad]

A retro one you’d never guess today- Craigendoran used to have an electrified platform to serve shipping from the adjacent pier https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigendoran_railway_station

Didn't realise it was quite so busy, but the remnants of the pier still visible and knew it must have been a hub of sorts.

 

[BayPaul]

Didn't realise it was quite so busy, but the remnants of the pier still visible and knew it must have been a hub of sorts.

Pre-nationalisation there was major competition for Clyde steamer services between North British Railway (later LNER) and Caledonian Railway / Steam Packet Co (later part of LMS). NBR, running services along the north bank of the Clyde was more limited in its choice of rail-linked ports than CSP, so built Craigendoran as their main base, whilst CSP had rail-connected services from Greenock, Gourock, Weymss Bay, Largs etc. Pre-grouping, there was also the Glasgow & South Western Railway's fleet, running from similar locations to CSP, who they merged with. One of the biggest issues NBR had was the relatively shallow water at Craigendoran, which prevented them from running turbine steamers, which tended to be larger, faster and more efficient than the paddle steamers, and were seen as more glamerous. This, coupled with the inferior location compared to the key destinations of Dunoon, Rothesay etc, pretty much sealed the fate of Craigendoran pier after nationalisation (getting somewhat nearer to topic of withdrawal of railway connected ferries!). PS Waverley is the last LNER steamer - had Craigendoran not had these limitations, she would no doubt have been built as a turbine steamer, and we probably wouldn't have a seagoing paddle steamer sailing around the British Isles today.

 

[unlevel42]

There is no SailRail connection between Ayr and Cairnryan at the moment(permanent?)

 

[theironroad]

Pre-nationalisation there was major competition for Clyde steamer services between North British Railway (later LNER) and Caledonian Railway / Steam Packet Co (later part of LMS). NBR, running services along the north bank of the Clyde was more limited in its choice of rail-linked ports than CSP, so built Craigendoran as their main base, whilst CSP had rail-connected services from Greenock, Gourock, Weymss Bay, Largs etc. Pre-grouping, there was also the Glasgow & South Western Railway's fleet, running from similar locations to CSP, who they merged with. One of the biggest issues NBR had was the relatively shallow water at Craigendoran, which prevented them from running turbine steamers, which tended to be larger, faster and more efficient than the paddle steamers, and were seen as more glamerous. This, coupled with the inferior location compared to the key destinations of Dunoon, Rothesay etc, pretty much sealed the fate of Craigendoran pier after nationalisation (getting somewhat nearer to topic of withdrawal of railway connected ferries!). PS Waverley is the last LNER steamer - had Craigendoran not had these limitations, she would no doubt have been built as a turbine steamer, and we probably wouldn't have a seagoing paddle steamer sailing around the British Isles today.

Thanks. Hopefully Waverley gets to run this year, think it was needing a major work as there was a fundraiser last year.

 

[Southsider]

Troon is temporarily replacing Ardrossan as the mainland port for the Arran ferry during refurbishment work which will be a bit of a trek from the station.

 

[alangla]

Troon is temporarily replacing Ardrossan as the mainland port for the Arran ferry during refurbishment work which will be a bit of a trek from the station.

Used to be a bus from the station when P&O ran from there, wasn’t there?

 

[Essexman]

I've used Wivenhoe station for ferry to Rowhedge.
Only runs summer weekends for a couple of hours either side of high tide.

 

[306024]

I've used Wivenhoe station for ferry to Rowhedge.
Only runs summer weekends for a couple of hours either side of high tide.

Yep done that, and Harwich Town for the ferry to Shotley and Felixstowe.