Night crossings may be cut at local ferry

Night crossings may be cut at local ferry

4 November 2015

THE Strangford Ferry service is facing cuts to late night crossings under new proposals from the Department for Regional Development.

During winter months the 10.30pm sailing from Strangford and the 10.45pm sailing from Portaferry would be ped between Sunday and Friday. The winter months are classed as running between October 1 and March 31.

An additional weekday morning sailing from Portaferry at 7.20am all year round is proposed as part of the time-table alterations.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) consultation on the proposals is now open until November 27.

In the consultation paper Transport NI notes that the sailing from Portaferry at 7.45am is generally full, compared to a sparser evening service.

“Passenger count records show that, on weekdays, the early morning demand exceeds the demand for the last sailing of the evening,” the report reads.

It adds: “An extension of the ferry operating hours would result in an increase in operating costs and would require significant changes to the terms and conditions of employment of the ferry crews. It has therefore been decided that an additional early sailing would have to be offset by cutting back the timetable somewhere else.”

Between October and March 2014-15 the last sailing from Strangford saw an average of eight passengers and three vehicles. In Portaferry the last sailing saw an average of three passengers and one vehicle.

At a meeting of Newry Mourne and Down Council on Monday evening, chairwoman Naomi Bailie said she was concerned the proposals would be “detrimental to hoteliers and restaurants across the Lecale coastline”.

She suggested the council organise its own pop-up consultation event and not leave it solely to the Department for Regional Development.

Ms Bailie said a community planning team should carry out research and report back to the council and that they should also consult with North Down and Ards Council.

Councillor Gareth Sharvin seconded the call for a council-led consultation, branding a cut to the evening service as “totally ridiculous”.

Councillors Terry Andrews, Willie Clarke and Dermot Curran also spoke out calling for a council consultation service.

Councillor Cadogan Enright said he had been campaigning to ensure that the ferry arriving in from Portaferry was altered to meet the first bus at 7.30 am.

He said he was pleased that DRD were finally addressing this matter but said evening services should not be curtailed.