Rotterdam to get city ferry 06-01-2009 From March 2010 onwards, the Rotterdam region will see the operation of a new
means of public transport: the city ferry, with fifteen stops on the Nieuwe Maas
between Krimpen aan den IJssel, Rotterdam and Vlaardingen. Later, the service is
likely to be extended to Capelle aan den IJssel, Spijkennise, Maassluis en de
Botlek. This has been announced by RET (the Rotterdam transport operator) and
the City Region Rotterdam.
In 2009, operations will commence on the docking capacity as well as the
infrastructure needed to make the quays accessible for the public. Costs are
estimated at €35 million euros, of which the region will pay €26 million. The
rest is to be financed by the municipalities along the ferry connection.
The RET, which is responsible for the exploitation of the new ferry service,
will purchase ten new vessels, each with a seating capacity for 80 people, as
well as capacity for 50 bicycles.
It is expected that a company will built the vessels is selected in May. Goal
is to ensure the ferries arrive at the Rotterdam city centre every fifteen
minutes. Outside the city centre, the service is frequented every half an hour.
The City Region and RET estimate that in 2014, some 2.5 million passengers
will use the new city ferry. “This is a realistic prognosis,” a City Region
spokesman says. “We know from experience that people are more than happy to
leave their cars at home when there are good alternative modes of transport.”
If this is also the case for travellers in Capelle, Spijkenisse, Maassluis
and Botlek is not clear at the moment.
There are also plans for a new ferry stop at the
Churchillplein,
towards the end of the Leuvehaven, near the Maritime Museum. According to a
spokesperson from the City Region, the ultimate goal is to create a public
transport terminal there, so as to connect the ferry, bus and metro systems. A
new stop at
Wilhelminaplein
is also suggested.
The Rotterdam Region is not unfamiliar with transport over water; there is a
water bus between Rotterdam and the Drecht cities (Dordrecht, Zwijndrecht,
Papendrecht and Sliedrecht) and a fast ferry between Hoek van Holland and
Europoort.
Source: Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch only) LinksClick here to visit the website of RET, the Rotterdam transport operatorClick here to visit the website of the Rotterdam City RegionClick here for more information on the current water bus and fast ferry system in Rotterdam back |
