New ferry service in Dublin

strassenwolf · 08-10-2007 8:23am #1

The Irish Times wrote:

New water taxi starts on Liffey today
Olivia Kelly

The first ferry to run services traversing the river Liffey in more than 20 years will be launched from Dublin's Docklands today.

The water taxi will take passengers across the river from the City Moorings on the north quays to Sir John Rogerson's Quay on the south side for a €2 charge, reinstating a service first introduced on the river more than 500 years ago.

The journey will take about 90 seconds and has been introduced to allow foot passengers to cross between the IFSC and the Grand Canal Square area which has recently become the hub for a number of large law firms.

Dublin Corporation discontinued its ferry service between the north and south quays, which had largely been used to bring dockers to work, in 1986. Since then, those wishing to cross the east end of the Liffey have had to use Seán O'Casey Bridge at the Customs House or the East Link Bridge, which are more than 1.5km apart.

The new bright yellow taxi will be moored in the centre of the river allowing passengers at either quay side to hail its captain who will immediately attend the appropriate side.

"This is a fabulous service that will increase interconnectivity in the docks, which be very welcome locally, with both residents and businesses," Kevin Humphreys, Labour city councillor and member of the Dublin Dockland's Development Authority (DDDA) council said.

"As well as being a tourist attraction it will discourage people who have to get from one side of the quays to the other quickly from using their cars and will bring back a connection between the city and the river," he said.

The 12.5 metre ferry, which can carry 12 passengers, will be operated for the DDDA by Killary Cruises, which already runs the Liffey Voyage sightseeing boat. The ferry will make a number of initial trips today, after which the service will operate from 7am to 7pm daily. The service is being run as a pilot scheme for a two-year period, pending the construction of the Macken Street Bridge across the river.

Ferries first began crossing the Liffey in the 15th century in the vicinity of Wood Quay.

© 2007 The Irish Times

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/1008/1191668709311.html

This is a good idea. Anyone know when the Macken Street bridge will be finished?

Tabnabs · 08-10-2007 11:11am

I think it's a terrific idea, shame they think that €2 is an acceptable rate to charge. Won't be using it at this price.

loyatemu · 08-10-2007 11:27am

aren't the city moorings right beside the Sean O'Casey footbridge - why wouldn't you just walk across the bridge?

murphaph · 08-10-2007 12:32pm

The ferries across the Spree in Berlin are part of the BVG integrated system so your weekly/monthly/annual ticket is valid for those too. I wonder will our new ferry service be integrated into our non-existant integrated ticketing system?

Just another disjointed piece to the jigsaw puzzle that can't be completed.

Ham'nd'egger · 08-10-2007 1:12pm

loyatemu wrote:

aren't the city moorings right beside the Sean O'Casey footbridge - why wouldn't you just walk across the bridge?

Some of the legal types that frequent this side of town would taxi almost to the office next door, let alone walk down a few yards to a bridge. Get them onto it and it will be a winner

BendiBus · 08-10-2007 1:35pm

Strolled up to the river to have a look at lunchtime. It's a dinky little yellow thing. From a distance it reminded me of a rubber duck

It was pulling up on the far side of the river but I couldn't see if there were many on board. Quite a few on the quays taking piccies though! I might have to try it out just for the sake of novelty.

Ste.phen · 08-10-2007 1:48pm

I was thinking that myself, i presume it's somewhere down the eastern end of Sir John Rogerson's Quay that you get dropped off, but it's still no more than a 5 or 10 minute walk, and the new bridge they're building at Macken St / Cardiff Lane will surely doom this service if it even takes off properly?

mikemac · 08-10-2007 2:32pm

Wasn't there a ferry from the IFSC to Malahide? I saw it discussed here a few months ago. Not sure how long it takes but interesting idea.

Sure, buy your own speedboat and you can commute in no time :cool:

El Stuntman · 08-10-2007 4:44pm

for 2 quid I'd expect one of these

Prof_V · 08-10-2007 6:22pm

I thought I remembered the DDDA trying a ferry service a few years ago (http://www.e-tenders.gov.ie/Search/Search_Show.aspx?id=MAR001281 is the tender - I think the location was roughly where the Seán O'Casey Bridge now is). Did anything actually come of this? If it did, the current operation obviously isn't the first for 20 years.

BendiBus · 08-10-2007 10:24pm

It doesn't seem to be using the City Moorings. Crossing the O'Casey bridge this evening I could see it was crossing straight acrooss the river to where the National Conference Centre is being built. There seems to be a small dedicated mooring there. Less than a 30 second crossing I'd say!

nollaig · 16-10-2007 10:32am

This is probably a stupid question.

But recently I heard that you can now get a boat in the liffey for €2 or something.

It brought me to thinking why rivers etc. are not used for commuting, surely some rivers could provide commuting services. Is it just that there are no suitable boats (I know nothing about boats) or what?
Can boats be used as commuting vehicles???

Davidth88 · 16-10-2007 10:42am

I am not an expert... but it seems to me that the Liffey is highly tidal within the city centre.

So half the time there is no water there , and half the time there is so much water you can't get under the bridges.

Maybe I am missing something ?

barryfitz · 16-10-2007 10:48am

That silly service that was launched crosses the Liffey from the docklands to te IFSC. It does cost €2

daveirl · 16-10-2007 11:15am

This post has been deleted.

corktina · 16-10-2007 4:38pm

drain the river and make it a car park.....:cool:

Sean02 · 16-10-2007 5:22pm

A winner in the Millenium year ideas scheme went to a guy who proposed a water taxi service from Hueston Station to O'Connell Bridge. I think he/she got €5000 prize.

Carawaystick · 16-10-2007 6:53pm

There's usually a very low speed limit on the navigation part of rivers to avoid erosion of the banks. this usually gets extended all the way down to the sea

limit of 3-5 knots I think

Alkers · 16-10-2007 7:39pm

Perhaps a service could work from Dun Laoire to the City Centre, or Dun Laoire to Clontarf. Any boat with a half decent speed would be faster than a car at peak times I'd imagine.

Victor · 16-10-2007 8:23pm

Simona1986 wrote: »

Perhaps a service could work from Dun Laoire to the City Centre, or Dun Laoire to Clontarf. Any boat with a half decent speed would be faster than a car at peak times I'd imagine.

But slower than a train.

Victor · 16-10-2007 8:29pm

http://www.ddda.ie/index.jsp?1nID=94&nID=105&aID=477

Taxis to take the plunge in River Liffey

Docklands Authority announces launch of new river taxi service

Taxis will be taking to the water with the launch of a new river taxi in Dublin’s Docklands. The floating taxi, which will be named the Liffey Ferry, will take passengers across the River Liffey, from Sir John Rogerson’s Quay to North Wall Quay. Operated by Killary Cruises who also run the successful Liffey Voyage river tour service, the ferry will be in operation each day during the week.

David Higgins, Project Director, Docklands Authority, said “The Docklands Authority is delighted to launch Dublin’s first river ferry service for over twenty years and we’re confident it will be a success, particularly given the number of requests we have had to introduce such a service. The ferry will be a real asset to both workers and residents of Docklands, as well as those visiting the area.”

The 12.5 metre long Liffey Ferry will seat 12 people and will initially operate from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Tickets for the minute-long journey across the river will cost €2 or €10 for a book of ten tickets. Passengers can board the boat at the diving bell on the south side of the river and at the Cill Airne pontoon on the north side.

The Liffey Ferry is an initiative of the Dockland Authority’s River Regeneration Strategy, which aims to bring back life to the River Liffey. Other projects include the recent Docklands Maritime Festival, which attracted over 30,000 people to the Docklands area.

ENDS

Alkers · 16-10-2007 8:36pm

Victor wrote: »

But slower than a train.

How long does it take to go by DART from Dun Laoire to the City Centre, or to Clontarf?

Prof_V · 17-10-2007 6:19pm

Simona1986 wrote: »

How long does it take to go by DART from Dun Laoire to the City Centre, or to Clontarf?

About 22 and 29 minutes, respectively. Dún Laoghaire to the Tara Street area by boat would be about 7 nautical miles (4 of which would be within the Dublin harbour area and maybe 0.5 in Dún Laoghaire harbour, so you could only make full speed on 2.5 nautical miles of the route). Dún Laoghaire to Clontarf is roughly 5 nautical miles; again, full speed would only be possible on about 2.5.

So you need 19 knots and 10 knots average over the entire route, respectively, to even equal the train on travel time (and remember the boat is almost certainly going to have a frequency disadvantage, though this mightn't matter too much in the peak). The speed on open water is going to have to be higher. I don't know about precise permissible speeds in harbours, beyond what Carawaystick said.

A fast catamaran could theoretically manage Dún Laoghaire - city, but it would be helpful to know what the port-area limits would be and whether full speed would be possible in the open bay. Clontarf looks a bit more promising, but I'm unsure how many people actually want to go there, particularly as getting close to East Point at low tide could be difficult. Of course, you could go right across the bay; a Dún Laoghaire - Howth ferry, possibly car as well as passenger, gets proposed periodically, but nothing ever seems to happen about it.

Alkers · 17-10-2007 6:36pm

I don't think theres too much of an issue with going fast inside the dublin harbour limits. Speed boats never slow down coming from the lights up towards the IFSC and even passenger vessels (e.g. the sea safari RIBs) go fast enough along here.
I'm not suggesting it as a financially viable option but I'd say it could easily be quicker than the train.
Looking at it on Google Earth I'm getting smaller readings than the ones your giving, making it faster again.
The 12.5metre vessel with a capacity of 12 people has to be wrong that's hardly any people for a vessel that size and doesn't seem to be worth while putting in place?

Carawaystick · 17-10-2007 6:54pm

licensing laws limit capacity of boats to twelve souls. to get more aboard it gets complicated - have to meet the same requirements as an oceangoing car ferry

EUR two is still a symptom of the rip off culture here
from Portugalete to Getxo across the Nervion down from Bilbao is EUR0.25

In Venice, not the cheapest city in europe by a long way, a tragettha across the grand canal is EUR0.50 but you do feel like your life is at risk, with more than twelve people standing in a gondola....

Alkers · 17-10-2007 6:58pm

Why in this case did they get a 12m vessel? Surely something half the size/cost would have done just fine?

Ste.phen · 17-10-2007 9:19pm

I've taken this fery a few times, the size of the boat is about right, i've never seen it full to capacity but it's just as well, if 12 people were on board it'd be a little cramped I think.
Wonder what they'll do with the boat once the Macken St bridge opens and renders it obsolete?
Heuston - John Rogerson's Quay is an idea, it'd be faster than the LUAS/90 and a walk from connolly anyways.

Alkers · 17-10-2007 9:41pm

Any chance of a picture of it? I mean 12m is around 40feet, that seems insanely large to only fit 12!

Ste.phen · 17-10-2007 11:20pm

If i'm going tomorrow I'll get a pic
It's nowhere near 40ft long though, i'd say maybe half that, if even.
I think somewhere got their figures wrong, it could be 12.5ft instead of 12.5m which I think I saw earlier in the thread?

Victor · 20-10-2007 10:29pm

http://www.liffeyferry.com/

The are using a covered RIB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigid-hulled_inflatable_boat

I took some photos and I'll try to stick them up. Very quick service and much cheaper than the taxi fare would be. Useful for people to / from Docklands Station to the south docks.

Victor · 21-10-2007 4:21am

Threads merged.

New ferry service in Dublin

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