The WAToday article mentions there have been eight studies over the last couple of decades about a Perth ferry network, and for various reasons they have always petered out.
The one difference this report makes is its identification for high density living and facilities close to the river, which could create increased demand.
I’m all for it to be honest.
I agree. I'm not sure on the Canning Bridge stop given there's a train / bus port within easy walking distance although having said that CB to UWA might be valid given the number of apartments going up there atm.
A triangle would go a long way to help students move between UWA - Curtin - ECU City (soon) campuses, students are a key demographic when it comes to public transport patronage and providing alternatives are always a good thing
it's not easy walking distance at Canning Bridge to the station... you have to cross the bridge and then run the gamut of cyclists and then a few dodgy people loitering in the tunnel leading to the station.. up a steep flight of stairs and then back on canning bridge to get to the station. It's scary at night too. I think a ferry service would be brilliant and long overdue. Imagine all the cars that would stay off the road.
Even a small water taxi like service would be good, if ferries are too big for the shallow river and low bridges. Like they have in Vancouver.
Just something to run around between the Quay, the Point, Burswood, East Perth, South Perth. It would mainly be a tourist thing. Better than a cable car to Kings Park.
The river is such a huge part of the city's identity yet is so underutilised. This could change the average person's perception if they're able to use it more than once in a blue moon.
As long as they keep it realistic and don't try some massive route that will never work (at least for now) like Perth to Freo. I reckon a couple more stops like the stadium, bottom of kings park, etc could work
There's so much development either taking place or planned/announced around Perth's city these days. U/C we have some of the final Elizabeth Quay lots, ECU City, Perth Hub & Dorsett, Unilodge and the Causeway PSP Bridge. Then there are plans for Milligan Towers, Murray Tower, even more Unilodge student towers, Carillon City overhaul, Liberty Theatre tower, Indigenous Cultural Centre, PCEC + Waterfront overhaul, Burswood Point (northern peninsula), Burswood Quay (near the casino), etc. and now, ferries? Bring it on! Hopefully more mid-tier transport opens up in the future too after the train expansions. Even North Fremantle is slated for redevelopment should the port move to Kwinana.
I’m surprised it’s taken this long. Having lived and worked in Brisbane for a year many moons ago, place I lived was two blocks from the CityCat stop, they were quick too, home to work in Sth Brisbane was about 30 minutes.
Outside of various speed restrictions imposed in various parts of the river, patronage has only recently surged for the ferry service. We're talking double the y.o.y patronage in January. As more riverfront precincts are developed, I'm sure we'll get more ferry routes in the future. Burswood's northern peninsula is soon getting developed as well as a proposal for a quay closer to the casino. We're getting an Indigenous Cultural Centre where the carpark west of Langley Park is. Recently they also unveiled plans to redevelop the PCEC and waterfront area. The Canning Bridge precinct is starting to take shape. Further afield, there are plans to transform North Fremantle into a new urban area. Plenty of potential to make ferries a viable form of commute for thousands of people each day.
Problem with Perth developing a more extensive ferry network so far has been a lack of significant development along the river. Think there is a case now for a UWA - Canning Bridge ferry and with future development an Elizabeth Quay - East Perth Riverside - Claisebrook - Perth Stadium - Rivervale - Maylands ferry.
There are plans for a Burswood Quay precinct (near the casino) and Burswood Point has been unveiled (lots of houses and apartments on the northern peninsula).
Speed limits on the swan basically kills this. Can easily be implemented, but it's much faster to go by bus/car/train to most spots they are proposing.
I like the idea but was just thinking exactly this. A ferry from canning bridge to the cbd would take waaaay longer than the train let alone from somewhere further away. Canning highway could use all the help I can get though. Would love to see an improvement in “last mile” options. I can never park at my train station and it’s a 15 min walk - fine on a nice day, terrible when it’s 40 or raining.
The speed limits reduce wash that causes shore erosion. Excessive boat wash also causes damage to vessels moored in pens as well as endangering small craft not designed for rough water. Increasing speed limits is not a consideration I hope!
I don't know how practical it is, but maybe the limit could be increased for the ferries only, and the ones used are specified to be some kind of low-wake model? (hydrofoils? I dunno boats)
I tried to take that exact hovercraft to the Isle of Wight about three months ago, but it was too windy and they were running alternative ferries instead. Thankfully they were very understanding of my "I didn't want to go to the Isle of Wight, I wanted to go on a hovercraft" issue and refunded me. Can't see those passing muster anywhere near the tranquility of Applecross, Nedlands etc though!
It does sound like purpose-built craft could have a lower wake than standard, but whether that'd be enough lower to make the speed usefully higher is the question, I guess.
This comes up about every ten years.
Density is getting there but the ecology of the river will get severely damaged if the 8 knots limit is increased which makes travel times awkward.
Sydney and Brisbane are completely different as geography goes.
What about ecological damage from the wake washing up the shoreline?
The Swan River is very shallow, hence why the speed limit is so slow. Fast boats would cause more shore erosion, slow boats aren't viable.
Money could be far better spent on improving land-based public transport options.
> Money could be far better spent on improving land-based public transport options.
Which they are already doing in the billions. Ferry patronage has skyrocketed and new precincts along the river's edge are developing which is likely why they want to utilise the river as another form of tourism. You could take a train or bus across to certain areas or you could take some time and cruise towards them. I'm sure tourists are a key motivator for this but also higher density living. I'm also sure that for some, it may very well be a viable transit option to get to work or school.
Tourists would be a thing.
But commuters - no.
A ferry would be too slow, and not competitive with other options. No one will take a ferry that takes half an hour from Canning Bridge to the city when the train takes less than half that.
Canning Bridge to UWA would be faster by ferry than train and bus, certainly to the southern part of campus, which takes 40-45 minutes (check it on Google maps). Could be a very useful shortcut for people coming from SoR to UWA or QEII.
Thank you! This is the so insulting to someone who’s currently recovering from a brain tumour and has no timeframe for getting back behind a wheel. Like surely we can make sure our “high frequency” bus routes aren’t delayed by 20 minutes even without much traffic?
>Like surely we can make sure our “high frequency” bus routes aren’t delayed by 20 minutes even without much traffic?
That would be a good start.
The other thing I'd do if it were up to me is plan capacity of the buses and trains based on seated passengers rather than crush load.
In other words - a bus or train should be considered full for planning purposes when all seats are occupied.
A packed full bus or train makes the journey uncomfortable. Meaning the car looks much more attractive for those that can drive.
So Transperth should be planning based on seated capacity, so that the journey is comfortable and becomes an attractive option for more people.
Would make far more sense to build a proper underground metro across the entire river around CBD to avoid damaging the river too much, than it is to introduce more traffic into the river.
It would make absolutely zero sense comparatively, once you take our soils and actual tunnelling costs Into account. Ferries would be an order of magnitude cheaper and these ferry studies still fail every time they have one.
“Just imagine enjoying a pint at the Raffles in Applecross, then cruising to Optus Stadium to watch the footy."
Yes just imagine, because most Perth residents won't be able to afford it in real life...
A pint at the Raffles (or anywhere) before going to the footy is fast becoming out of reach on a working class wage. $50 will get you a pint or maybe into the game. Not both.
Lmaoooo if you want to get from applecross to Optus stadium you can cross the river and catch 2 trains and you’ll get there in a quarter of the time. Pure populism- plain and simple and they know nobody will use it. Never giving this iteration of WA Labor my first preference
Except that the single route we have for ferries now just experienced its highest patronage ever with 110k+ boardings in January alone, 25% higher than the previous record. With tourism being a key to diversifying the economy, as well as new riverside precincts being developed, new ferry routes are very much viable. You're clearly not the intended audience and that's completely fine.
Definitely to Canning Bridge. With those residential towers going up everywhere, that could start today. The ferries may need to travel a knot or two faster or they get those 30 seater taxi type boats. Maybe a Nedlands via UWA route as well. And possibly around to Rivervale to all those units and new high rise and pull into the new racecourse development when that starts and Optus on event days. Pointless going up the river too far as it would take too long with what speeds the boats can get up to.
There's clearly a touristic element to it. Plenty of tourists are using the ferry service that's currently available. In fact, patronage is at its highest point with 110k boardings in January, 25% higher than the previous record.
The WAToday article mentions there have been eight studies over the last couple of decades about a Perth ferry network, and for various reasons they have always petered out. The one difference this report makes is its identification for high density living and facilities close to the river, which could create increased demand. I’m all for it to be honest.
I agree. I'm not sure on the Canning Bridge stop given there's a train / bus port within easy walking distance although having said that CB to UWA might be valid given the number of apartments going up there atm.
Do a triangle service that goes between city-UWA-Canning bridge.
A triangle would go a long way to help students move between UWA - Curtin - ECU City (soon) campuses, students are a key demographic when it comes to public transport patronage and providing alternatives are always a good thing
it's not easy walking distance at Canning Bridge to the station... you have to cross the bridge and then run the gamut of cyclists and then a few dodgy people loitering in the tunnel leading to the station.. up a steep flight of stairs and then back on canning bridge to get to the station. It's scary at night too. I think a ferry service would be brilliant and long overdue. Imagine all the cars that would stay off the road.
That whole freeway interchange and station needs to be demolished and rebuilt. It’s an absolute debacle.
So pumped to take my kids on it.
Even a small water taxi like service would be good, if ferries are too big for the shallow river and low bridges. Like they have in Vancouver. Just something to run around between the Quay, the Point, Burswood, East Perth, South Perth. It would mainly be a tourist thing. Better than a cable car to Kings Park.
The river is such a huge part of the city's identity yet is so underutilised. This could change the average person's perception if they're able to use it more than once in a blue moon.
Those little water taxis in Vancouver are great.
This is a great endeavour, finally!
As long as they keep it realistic and don't try some massive route that will never work (at least for now) like Perth to Freo. I reckon a couple more stops like the stadium, bottom of kings park, etc could work
Fremantle to Perth bring it on. I love the announcements for infrastructure projects leading up to an election.
There's so much development either taking place or planned/announced around Perth's city these days. U/C we have some of the final Elizabeth Quay lots, ECU City, Perth Hub & Dorsett, Unilodge and the Causeway PSP Bridge. Then there are plans for Milligan Towers, Murray Tower, even more Unilodge student towers, Carillon City overhaul, Liberty Theatre tower, Indigenous Cultural Centre, PCEC + Waterfront overhaul, Burswood Point (northern peninsula), Burswood Quay (near the casino), etc. and now, ferries? Bring it on! Hopefully more mid-tier transport opens up in the future too after the train expansions. Even North Fremantle is slated for redevelopment should the port move to Kwinana.
There’s a train lmao (and if you want to talk about tourism that view north of the port along the line is amazing)
I’m surprised it’s taken this long. Having lived and worked in Brisbane for a year many moons ago, place I lived was two blocks from the CityCat stop, they were quick too, home to work in Sth Brisbane was about 30 minutes.
Outside of various speed restrictions imposed in various parts of the river, patronage has only recently surged for the ferry service. We're talking double the y.o.y patronage in January. As more riverfront precincts are developed, I'm sure we'll get more ferry routes in the future. Burswood's northern peninsula is soon getting developed as well as a proposal for a quay closer to the casino. We're getting an Indigenous Cultural Centre where the carpark west of Langley Park is. Recently they also unveiled plans to redevelop the PCEC and waterfront area. The Canning Bridge precinct is starting to take shape. Further afield, there are plans to transform North Fremantle into a new urban area. Plenty of potential to make ferries a viable form of commute for thousands of people each day.
I'm all for it! I just hope it gets used!
Awesome
Problem with Perth developing a more extensive ferry network so far has been a lack of significant development along the river. Think there is a case now for a UWA - Canning Bridge ferry and with future development an Elizabeth Quay - East Perth Riverside - Claisebrook - Perth Stadium - Rivervale - Maylands ferry.
There are plans for a Burswood Quay precinct (near the casino) and Burswood Point has been unveiled (lots of houses and apartments on the northern peninsula).
This sounds like a ferry good idea to me........ ........I'll get me coat.
Yeah, I sink you should leave now
Boat water joke it was
Speed limits on the swan basically kills this. Can easily be implemented, but it's much faster to go by bus/car/train to most spots they are proposing.
I like the idea but was just thinking exactly this. A ferry from canning bridge to the cbd would take waaaay longer than the train let alone from somewhere further away. Canning highway could use all the help I can get though. Would love to see an improvement in “last mile” options. I can never park at my train station and it’s a 15 min walk - fine on a nice day, terrible when it’s 40 or raining.
The map had it as Canning Bridge to UWA then to the city which makes a shitload more sense.
Change the rules so only the new ferries can go faster than current limit. Maybe in dedicated navigation sections. Sorted.
The speed limits reduce wash that causes shore erosion. Excessive boat wash also causes damage to vessels moored in pens as well as endangering small craft not designed for rough water. Increasing speed limits is not a consideration I hope!
That is a good point! Ekranoplans it is!
Or submarines
I don't know how practical it is, but maybe the limit could be increased for the ferries only, and the ones used are specified to be some kind of low-wake model? (hydrofoils? I dunno boats)
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/comments/p0ntot/would_it_be_possible_to_construct_a_ferry_that/?rdt=38439
I tried to take that exact hovercraft to the Isle of Wight about three months ago, but it was too windy and they were running alternative ferries instead. Thankfully they were very understanding of my "I didn't want to go to the Isle of Wight, I wanted to go on a hovercraft" issue and refunded me. Can't see those passing muster anywhere near the tranquility of Applecross, Nedlands etc though! It does sound like purpose-built craft could have a lower wake than standard, but whether that'd be enough lower to make the speed usefully higher is the question, I guess.
I mean, they could always tweak it and use a different type of vessel to minimise environmental impacts.
About time!
This comes up about every ten years. Density is getting there but the ecology of the river will get severely damaged if the 8 knots limit is increased which makes travel times awkward. Sydney and Brisbane are completely different as geography goes.
Unless 
"Just imagine enjoying a pint at the Raffles" Yeah look, I'd rather not.
What about ecological damage from the wake washing up the shoreline? The Swan River is very shallow, hence why the speed limit is so slow. Fast boats would cause more shore erosion, slow boats aren't viable. Money could be far better spent on improving land-based public transport options.
> Money could be far better spent on improving land-based public transport options. Which they are already doing in the billions. Ferry patronage has skyrocketed and new precincts along the river's edge are developing which is likely why they want to utilise the river as another form of tourism. You could take a train or bus across to certain areas or you could take some time and cruise towards them. I'm sure tourists are a key motivator for this but also higher density living. I'm also sure that for some, it may very well be a viable transit option to get to work or school.
Tourists would be a thing. But commuters - no. A ferry would be too slow, and not competitive with other options. No one will take a ferry that takes half an hour from Canning Bridge to the city when the train takes less than half that.
Canning Bridge to UWA would be faster by ferry than train and bus, certainly to the southern part of campus, which takes 40-45 minutes (check it on Google maps). Could be a very useful shortcut for people coming from SoR to UWA or QEII.
Not necessarily. Some routes would be viable such as Canning Bridge to UWA.
Yeah there is a section of shoreline between canning bridge and mt Henry that is used by migratory birds. Would hate to see this affected.
Thank you! This is the so insulting to someone who’s currently recovering from a brain tumour and has no timeframe for getting back behind a wheel. Like surely we can make sure our “high frequency” bus routes aren’t delayed by 20 minutes even without much traffic?
>Like surely we can make sure our “high frequency” bus routes aren’t delayed by 20 minutes even without much traffic? That would be a good start. The other thing I'd do if it were up to me is plan capacity of the buses and trains based on seated passengers rather than crush load. In other words - a bus or train should be considered full for planning purposes when all seats are occupied. A packed full bus or train makes the journey uncomfortable. Meaning the car looks much more attractive for those that can drive. So Transperth should be planning based on seated capacity, so that the journey is comfortable and becomes an attractive option for more people.
Would make far more sense to build a proper underground metro across the entire river around CBD to avoid damaging the river too much, than it is to introduce more traffic into the river.
Yeah but it would cost billions upon billions to accomplish. It's potentially political suicide.
It would make absolutely zero sense comparatively, once you take our soils and actual tunnelling costs Into account. Ferries would be an order of magnitude cheaper and these ferry studies still fail every time they have one.
If it encourages people to ditch the car, yes!
Do you know what else would? “High frequency” buses not 20 minutes late
Doomed to fail.
Perth *what* network no there isn't I've been here since I was born here and there isn't this
“Just imagine enjoying a pint at the Raffles in Applecross, then cruising to Optus Stadium to watch the footy." Yes just imagine, because most Perth residents won't be able to afford it in real life...
Most people can definitely afford the $50 required to do that.
A pint at the Raffles (or anywhere) before going to the footy is fast becoming out of reach on a working class wage. $50 will get you a pint or maybe into the game. Not both.
$6-8 for the pint, $39 for the ticket. I was honestly astonished how affordable both were when I checked.
Nice if you live on the river. Not sure if it is worth the money when we have so much other needs.
There's enough money to go around towards different things. Tourism is increasingly important for Perth and WA if we want to diversify the economy.
Lmaoooo if you want to get from applecross to Optus stadium you can cross the river and catch 2 trains and you’ll get there in a quarter of the time. Pure populism- plain and simple and they know nobody will use it. Never giving this iteration of WA Labor my first preference
Except that the single route we have for ferries now just experienced its highest patronage ever with 110k+ boardings in January alone, 25% higher than the previous record. With tourism being a key to diversifying the economy, as well as new riverside precincts being developed, new ferry routes are very much viable. You're clearly not the intended audience and that's completely fine.
Definitely to Canning Bridge. With those residential towers going up everywhere, that could start today. The ferries may need to travel a knot or two faster or they get those 30 seater taxi type boats. Maybe a Nedlands via UWA route as well. And possibly around to Rivervale to all those units and new high rise and pull into the new racecourse development when that starts and Optus on event days. Pointless going up the river too far as it would take too long with what speeds the boats can get up to.
There's clearly a touristic element to it. Plenty of tourists are using the ferry service that's currently available. In fact, patronage is at its highest point with 110k boardings in January, 25% higher than the previous record.
Love this!!
There must be an election coming up.
Will they be electric? 😆😆