Merseytravel Meeting

 

In January 2016 we visited Merseytravel HQ at Mann Island for a meeting with Gary Evans - Head of Customer Delivery at Merseytravel together with Cllr Liam Robinson - Merseytravels elected chair. We were invited by Gary to look in more detail at the long term report in into the ferries that has been comissioned by Merseytravel. 

 

Over the course of nearly 2 hours, we looked in detail at the report and proposals that are to be put to the Merseytravel elected comittee. It is suffice to say that this plan, if approved, will mean considerable changes for the river ferries. The proposals are, in a nutshell, as follows:

 

1. Two new ferries to be brought into service. One circa 2020 and the other 2030.

 

2. The Royal Daffodil will not return to service, we are working with Merseytravel to explore future options for her use and this is ongoing. It is hoped that some use will be found for her, i.e as a heritage vessel so she will not got for scrap.

 

3. One of the two Birkenhead twins will be retained and used on the Manchester Ship Canal. The other is to be used as a source of spares.

 

4. Looking at reduction of the commuter service times and possible mothballing of Woodside ferry.

 

There was much more information and of course this is only at the proposal stage and will see many changes over the course of its lifetime. We will keep you fully updated as soon as we have any further information.

 

Special thanks to Gary and Cllr Robinson for thier time taken to involve the society in this.