Sydney Ferries
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|---|---|
| Sydney Ferries | |
| Overview | |
| Mode | Ferry |
| Owner | NSW Government |
| Area | Sydney Woollahra Waverley Manly Mosman North Sydney Hunters Hill Ryde Parramatta Canada Bay Leichhardt |
| Business | |
| Key People | Rear Admiral Geoffrey Smith (CEO) |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Operations | |
| Fleet | 31 vessels |
| Network | 37 km |
| Wharves | 38 |
| Public transport | | |
Sydney Ferries Corporation is an agency of the New South Wales Government providing commuter ferry services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River in Sydney, Australia.
Sydney Ferries describes itself as "at the heart of Sydney and its transport network." (AR 5) The network, stretching from Manly in the east to Parramatta in the west, is used primarily by tourists. A significant minority of passenger journeys are made by commuters. Sydney Ferries represent 0.2% of all public transport journeys in Sydney on any given day.
Around 48% of total patronage is commuter travel and 46% is leisure travel.
The ferry's iconic status derives in part from Sydney's self-image as a harbour city, even though it is a relatively minor part of the city's public transport network. In recent years, the service has faced criticism that it is both too costly to taxpayers and poorly resourced for commuters. These pressures have kept the corporation—and its succession of short-lived chief executives—very much in the public eye.
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[edit] Operations
As of 2004, Sydney Ferries is a nominally independent corporation whose 'shareholders' are the treasurer, Michael Costa and the finance minister, John Della Bosca. The assistant minister for transport, under whose portfolio the ferry network sits, is Eric Roozendaal. The corporation's chief executive is Geoff Smith. The chairman is Geoff Ashton.
The corporation's first two years saw a significant amount of change, with Suzanne Sinclair, Rear Admiral Chris Oxenbould and Rear Admiral Geoff Smith serving as chief executive for parts of 2006.
In 2005-06, the corporation ran a deficit of $48.7 million on revenues of $94.1 million. More than half of the corporation's revenue came from government subsidies. Although the corporation failed to meet its targets for fleet availability, its on-time running of 98.9% outperformed the CityRail network.
The performance of Sydney Ferries has been a particular focus for Opposition transport spokesman Gladys Berejiklian. In December 2006, Berejiklian revealed that the fleet of 31 had experienced, on average, two breakdowns per vessel per month between July 2005 and September 2006. Berejiklian blamed a lack of maintenance funding. [4]
[edit] Network
Sydney Ferries operates a 37-km network consisting of
- Manly ferry services, Sydney (light blue on map)
- Eastern Suburbs ferry services, Sydney (dark green)
- Taronga Zoo ferry services, Sydney (dark blue)
- Inner Harbour ferry services, Sydney (light green, red, orange and lilac)
- Parramatta River ferry services, Sydney (yellow)
[edit] Parry Inquiry
The 2003 Ministerial Inquiry into Sustainable Public Transport in New South Wales, known as the Parry Inquiry, was scathing in its assessment of the role and performance of the ferry network. Report author Tom Parry concluded that
It is hard to believe that taxpayers or the state are getting the best possible value from the large amounts of money being spent each year. This is not new; it has been a problem for many years facing governments from all sides of politics. There are better ways to deliver public transport ... We have a costly public ferry service that includes what is effectively a subsidised water taxi service for mainly middle to high income earners and tourists.
(pp. xiv-xv)
Parry recommended that Sydney Ferries be established as a separate state-owned corporation (this occurred in 2004) and that the regulatory framework for all ferry services in Sydney be reviewed. The report listed a number of "poor service decisions" and "poor fleet decisions".
Many of his concerns centred on equity. "Sydney ferries are an important feature of the harbour," Parry wrote, "However, only a small proportion of the population directly benefits from these services." (p. 32)
[edit] Poor service decisions
Parry raised significant equity concerns about the ferry service. Almost 50% of the cost of a ferry journey is borne by taxpayers despite research revealing that the average personal income of full-fare paying passengers is $59,425—one-third higher than the average for rail and bus passengers. In any case, commuter use of ferries has been in decline for many years. Parry noted that
Some services such as the Parramatta RiverCat are used almost exclusively by tourists yet the service is priced as a regular public transport service rather than a premium service.(p. 32)
The report also noted that the Manly JetCat service was expensive and unreliable when the lack of demand for the service was taken into account.
[edit] Poor fleet decisions
Parry found that the diversity of the Sydney Ferries fleet was pushing up maintenance costs and compromising reliability. A 2003 study by Sinclair Knight Merz estimated that rationalising the fleet's seven classes could eventually yield cost savings of $4 million per year. (p. 55)
[edit] Fleet
| Sydney Ferries fleet | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vessel | Class | Service | Capacity | Speed | Length | Displacement | Routes | Origin of name |
| Collaroy | Freshwater | 1988 | 1100 | 14 kt | 70.4 m | 1140 t | Manly | Collaroy Beach |
| Freshwater | Freshwater | 1982 | 1100 | 14 kt | 70.4 m | 1140 t | Manly | Freshwater Beach |
| Narrabeen | Freshwater | 1984 | 1100 | 14 kt | 70.4 m | 1140 t | Manly | Narrabeen Beach |
| Queenscliff | Freshwater | 1983 | 1100 | 14 kt | 70.4 m | 1140 t | Manly | Queenscliff Beach |
| Alexander | First Fleet | 1985 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Alexander, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Borrowdale | First Fleet | 1985 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Borrowdale, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Charlotte | First Fleet | 1985 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Charlotte, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Fishburn | First Fleet | 1985 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Fishburn, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Friendship | First Fleet | 1986 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Friendship, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Golden Grove | First Fleet | 1986 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Golden Grove, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Scarborough | First Fleet | 1986 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | Scarborough, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Sirius | First Fleet | 1984 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | HMS Sirius, flagship of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Supply | First Fleet | 1984 | 393 | 11 kt | 25.38 m | 105 t | Inner Harbour | HMS Supply, part of the 1787 First Fleet |
| Blue Fin | JetCat | 1990 | 280 | 31 kt | 34.8 m | 87.47 t | Manly | Blue Fin, a type of Australian Fish off Queensland Coast |
| Sea Eagle | JetCat | 1991 | 280 | 31 kt | 34.8 m | 87.47 t | Manly | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, an NRL team |
| Sir David Martin | JetCat | 1990 | 280 | 31 kt | 34.8 m | 87.47 t | Manly | Sir David Martin, former Governor of New South Wales |
| Lady Herron | Lady Class | 1979 | 554 | 11 kt | 38.71 m | 287 t | Inner Harbour & Cruises | |
| Lady Northcott | Lady Class | 1974 | 815 | 11 kt | 43.79 m | 383 t | Inner Harbour, Manly Relief Vessel & Cruises | Wife of John Northcott, a NSW Governor |
| Betty Cuthbert | RiverCat | 1992 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Betty Cuthbert, an athlete |
| Dawn Fraser | RiverCat | 1992 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Dawn Fraser, a swimmer |
| Evonne Goolagong | RiverCat | 1993 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Evonne Goolagong, a tennis player |
| Marlene Matthews | RiverCat | 1993 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Marlene Matthews, an athlete |
| Marjorie Jackson | RiverCat | 1993 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Marjorie Jackson, an athlete |
| Nicole Livingstone Formally "Nicole Stevenson | RiverCat | 1995 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Nicole Livingstone, a swimmer |
| Shane Gould | RiverCat | 1993 | 230 | 20 kt | 36.8 m | 41 t | Parramatta River | Shane Gould, a swimmer |
| Anne Sargeant | HarbourCat | 1998 | 150 | 22 kt | 29.6 m | 35 t | Inner Harbour/ Parramatta | Anne Sargeant, a netballer |
| Pam Burridge | HarbourCat | 1998 | 150 | 22 kt | 29.6 m | 35 t | Inner Harbour / Parramatta | Pam Burridge, a surfer |
| Louise Sauvage | SuperCat | 2001 | 250 | 25 kt | 37.76 m | 49 t | Eastern Suburbs | Louise Sauvage, a paralympian |
| Mary MacKillop | SuperCat | 2000 | 250 | 25 kt | 37.76 m | 49 t | Eastern Suburbs | Mary MacKillop, a nun - to be named Australias First Saint |
| SuperCat 4 | SuperCat | 2001 | 250 | 25 kt | 37.76 m | 49 t | Eastern Suburbs | No name decided for this vessel |
| Susie O’Neill | SuperCat | 2000 | 250 | 25 kt | 37.76 m | 49 t | Eastern Suburbs | Susie O’Neill, a swimmer |
[edit] Accidents
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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
Sydney Ferries has been involved in numerous accidents leading to fatalities during its operation. The most recent event occurred at about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday 28 March 2007 when the Sydney Ferries HarbourCat Pam Burridge collided with a private charter vessel. The death toll was three, and there was one missing person. The collision occured beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The passengers on the private vessel were a group from a figure skating seminar at a local rink, who were on a sightseeing cruise of the harbour. Australian champion Sean Carlow was among the survivors of the accident. His mother and coach, former Australian Olympic competitor Liz Cain, had her leg amputated, while one of the dead was a skating judge who had returned from officiating at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships the previous week.[1][2]
Two previous accidents had been recorded in 2007, in January one man was killed when a Sydney RiverCat collided with a dingy, he later died in hospital.[3] In March a Sydney Ferries vessel crashed into a whale-watching ship before hitting the Pyrmont Bridge in Darling Harbour.[4]
[edit] References
- Ministerial Inquiry into Sustainable Public Transport in New South Wales
[edit] External links
| Public transport operators in metropolitan New South Wales | |
|---|---|
| Government |
Automated Fare Collection System | Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal | New South Wales Ministry of Transport | Rail Infrastructure Corporation | Tcard | Transport InfoLine | Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation
|
| Rail | Airport Link | CityRail | Metro Transport Sydney | Veolia
|
| Ferry | Central Coast Ferries | Church Point Ferry | Cronulla Ferries | Dangar Island Ferries | Matilda Cruises | Newcastle Buses & Ferries | Palm Beach Ferry | Sydney Ferries
|
| Bus |
Busabout | BusLink | Busways | Caringbah Bus | ComfortDelGro Cabcharge | Forest Coach | Hopkinson's | Interline | Metro-link | Punchbowl Buses | Shorelink | State Transit Authority of New South Wales | Veolia
|
| Taxi | Taxis in New South Wales | Cabcharge
|
| Public transport in metropolitan New South Wales | | |
