Woolwich Ferry

[Western Lord]

TfL has placed orders for two new boats to replace the three existing 1963 built ferries, unfortunately they will be built in Poland rather than the UK. As the existing boats are named after London politicians, maybe the new ones can be named after London's first two elected mayors, the Ken Livingstone listing permanently to the left and the Boris Johnson listing permanently to the right. Alternatively a public vote could be held, so there may be hope for Boaty Macboatface after all.

 

[gordonthemoron]

One should be called the Black Pig

 

[AlterEgo]

One should be called the Black Pig

Tell us more, Gordon.

 

[deltic]

Neither are required and should be scrapped saving a fortune

 

[telstarbox]

Terrible banter.

 

[Clip]

Neither are required and should be scrapped saving a fortune

Please explain - these are a valuable crossing in this part of south/east london and to send that traffic through any of the tunnels would just add to the increasing congestion that they already suffer.

 

[Busaholic]

TfL has placed orders for two new boats to replace the three existing 1963 built ferries, unfortunately they will be built in Poland rather than the UK. As the existing boats are named after London politicians, maybe the new ones can be named after London's first two elected mayors, the Ken Livingstone listing permanently to the left and the Boris Johnson listing permanently to the right. Alternatively a public vote could be held, so there may be hope for Boaty Macboatface after all.

I spent rather too many of my boyhood years down at Woolwich and North Woolwich looking at and travelling on the four ferries then operating (three in the peaks with one spare, moored.) The smell of the tarry water remains in my olfactory memory, but, specifically on names, one of those ferries was named Will Crooks. Perhaps the two new ferries could be named after other notable Crooks.

 

[John Webb]

Neither are required and should be scrapped saving a fortune

I, as a former Woolwich resident and user of the ferry, would be interested to know your reasoning for this statement.

 

[Nym]

I'm wondering why when 3 isn't enough now with frequent 'single ferry working' that TfL are only ordering two...?

 

[Castle Cary]

Neither are required and should be scrapped saving a fortune

Northbound, that would mean that all hazardous loads would have to cross by Tower Bridge or another central London crossing. (Southbound they can use the QE Bridge, but not the northbound tunnels at Dartford, Blackwall or Rotherhithe.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Tell us more, Gordon.

Captain Pugwash's pirate ship

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Alternatively a public vote could be held, so there may be hope for Boaty Macboatface after all.

The current television trends for letting the public have voting rights recently led to the following:-
1) The daft name put forward that you show above
2) The result of the EU referendum.

MESSAGE FOR THE DAY:-
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap"

 

[Ianno87]

I'm wondering why when 3 isn't enough now with frequent 'single ferry working' that TfL are only ordering two...?

Being new, they might be considerably more reliable and maintainable?

 

[Liam]

Are the Woolwich three the last Dundee-built ships still going?

 

[edwin_m]

TfL has placed orders for two new boats to replace the three existing 1963 built ferries, unfortunately they will be built in Poland rather than the UK. As the existing boats are named after London politicians, maybe the new ones can be named after London's first two elected mayors, the Ken Livingstone listing permanently to the left and the Boris Johnson listing permanently to the right. Alternatively a public vote could be held, so there may be hope for Boaty Macboatface after all.

The SS Ken would sail in a straight line, though not necessarily the direction everyone wants to go. The SS Boris would just go round in circles.

 

[deltic]

Once Silvertown tunnel is built congestion at Blackwall and the problem of over height vechiles is resolved the only traffic that needs an alternative crossing is very small and won't justify two new ferries. If Silvertown doesn't go ahead it's a different situation but as it's going through inquiry at the moment you would have thought TfL would have awaited the outcome before spending £10Ms.

 

[urpert]

Will Silvertown tunnel fix the hazardous loads issue, though?

 

[deltic]

Will Silvertown tunnel fix the hazardous loads issue, though?

No but the number of vehicles are so small and there are alternatives even if some distance away that there is no reason to invest in a ferry for the small number

 

[Clip]

And what about foot passengers then? What do you do with them? You want to make them pay to go on the DLR?

Having the ferries round there is a very good idea and can also be used as a back should a tunnel be closed for whatever reason.

 

[edwin_m]

If Silvertown Tunnel is still at public enquiry then opening must be several years away, perhaps up to a decade. If the ferries are no longer needed at that time then TfL can put them up for sale.

 

[John Webb]

And what about foot passengers then? What do you do with them? You want to make them pay to go on the DLR?

Having the ferries round there is a very good idea and can also be used as a back should a tunnel be closed for whatever reason.

To be fair to Deltic, there is the foot tunnel which can take the foot passengers; indeed while commuting from Woolwich to Ilford in the late 1960s, I had to use the tunnel when fog stopped the ferries from running.

It will take time to build the Silvertown tunnel, once it's agreed, and I suspect two new boats will arrive a lot sooner - and the current boats are now over 50 years old and no doubt somewhat worn.

As a bonus, here's a picture of 'Will Crooks':

taken around 1959/1960.

 

[Clip]

To be fair to Deltic, there is the foot tunnel which can take the foot passengers; indeed while commuting from Woolwich to Ilford in the late 1960s, I had to use the tunnel when fog stopped the ferries from running.

.

Yes but the foot tunnel takes forever and im out of breath by the time ive used it which is no good if people going to work.

As I say its always a bonus to have an alternative to tunnels and the ferry provides just this.

 

[Western Lord]

To be fair to Deltic, there is the foot tunnel which can take the foot passengers; indeed while commuting from Woolwich to Ilford in the late 1960s, I had to use the tunnel when fog stopped the ferries from running.

It will take time to build the Silvertown tunnel, once it's agreed, and I suspect two new boats will arrive a lot sooner - and the current boats are now over 50 years old and no doubt somewhat worn.

As a bonus, here's a picture of 'Will Crooks':

taken around 1959/1960.

Ah, the old steam powered side loaders. When I were a lad, my dad used to take my younger brother and I (around about the time of the photo) down to North Woolwich for a return trip on the ferry on a Sunday morning while mum was cooking what is now Sunday lunch but then was Sunday dinner. You used to be able to go down and look through windows at the thumping reciprocating steam engines and experience the heat and the smell! We used to think that the "other side" must be somewhere exotic as there was a big sign saying "Granada". Then it was back home for roast beef and yorkshire pud to the accompaniment of Two-way Family Favourites and Beyond Our Ken.

 

[Busaholic]

We used to think that the "other side" must be somewhere exotic as there was a big sign saying "Granada".

Not far from the one saying 'Odeon' - I remember being taken to see 'Around the World in Eighty Days' starring David Niven there. All I remember of the 'foreign' North Woolwich side was a rather large boozer on the bend in the road, but I was only aged about 12 so no personal experience of it.

 

[theageofthetra]

Will the new ferries be of a larger capacity?

 

[jopsuk]

They're rather unusual boats, with the (relatively) high open vehicle deck. There's many open-deck ferry services in the UK, but usually the deck is much lower to the water and they use boat mounted ramps to access slipways. I'm guessing the high deck design and link span works better with the tidal range and steep banks.

 

[Busaholic]

I posed the question a while back on another thread, and didn't get a definitive answer, but would the permanent withdrawal of the Woolwich Free Ferry require the repeal of an Act of Parliament, or, alternatively, the passing of a new Act?

 

[John Webb]

I posed the question a while back on another thread, and didn't get a definitive answer, but would the permanent withdrawal of the Woolwich Free Ferry require the repeal of an Act of Parliament, or, alternatively, the passing of a new Act?

The Free Ferry was set up, with other unrelated works, by the Metropolitan Board of Works in an Act of 1885. The MBW was replaced by the LCC two days before the official opening of the ferry. (Information from "Free for All" by Julian Watson and Wendy Gregory, published 1989 by Greenwich Borough Council to celebrate the centenary of the Free Ferry.)
My guess is that with the various changes in local government ending up with Transport for London now running the ferry, they may well not need an Act of Parliament to stop the ferry service. But they might need to carry out public consultation first?

 

[Nym]

Being new, they might be considerably more reliable and maintainable?

They won't be new forever...

 

[Busaholic]

The Free Ferry was set up, with other unrelated works, by the Metropolitan Board of Works in an Act of 1885. The MBW was replaced by the LCC two days before the official opening of the ferry. (Information from "Free for All" by Julian Watson and Wendy Gregory, published 1989 by Greenwich Borough Council to celebrate the centenary of the Free Ferry.)
My guess is that with the various changes in local government ending up with Transport for London now running the ferry, they may well not need an Act of Parliament to stop the ferry service. But they might need to carry out public consultation first?

Thank you for that, John. I've been unable to validate the suggestion a local politician made many years ago that the service could neither be charged directly for nor withdrawn without it going through Parliament first, but politicians say anything if they think there's a few votes in it.