Shields Ferry
Encyclopedia
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, between North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
and South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
. The service is operated by Nexus
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive using the brandname of Nexus, is the Passenger Transport Executive for the Tyne and Wear region of North East England....
(The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) and is part of the Tyne and Wear Metro System
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
. It was known as The Market Place Ferry until takeover by the PTE in 1972.
Service
There have been ferries across the Tyne since the 14th century, and this is the only service that remains.The ferry service makes just under 25,000 journeys a year, and carries nearly 400,000 passengers a year. There are two vessels that operate the service, currently; The Pride of the Tyne (1993) and The Spirit of the Tyne (2007). Usually only one ferry is in operation at a time, although both will be used during peak periods to operate a shuttle service. Also, if The Pride of the Tyne is in use of Private Hire/Rivertrip etc. the Spirit of the Tyne will operate the standard ferry service. Each trip, the Shields Ferry travels approx. 0.48miles (0.77 km) across the river.
Passengers on the north bank can transfer to the 333 bus service at North Shields ferry landing to be taken direct to the town centre and metro station
North Shields Metro station
North Shields Metro Station is on the Tyne and Wear Metro Yellow line.It was formerly the terminus of the now defunct Blue line , which used a bay platform on the south side, at the west end of the station...
. The alternative to this is a short 5-10 minute walk via the steep hill of Borough Road.
In 2008 the PTE appointed Carol Timlin as the service's first female general manager.
Freda Cunningham
The Freda Cunningham was the first ferry to be commissioned and was in use when the ferry service was called the "Market Place Ferry". This vessel had a reputation for unreliability and was frequently out of service. The ferry's name came from the wife of North East Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
leader Andy Cunningham, whose son was the politician and cabinet minister
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
, Jack Cunningham
Jack Cunningham
John "Jack" Anderson Cunningham, Baron Cunningham of Felling, PC, DL is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Copeland from 1983 to 2005, and previously served in the Cabinet.-Early life:...
. She was commissioned in 1972 and sold in 1993 when the Pride of The Tyne came into service.
Shieldsman
The Shieldsman was built by Hancock Shipbuilders of Pembroke Dock and entered service in 1976. The ferry is double ended, and can operate either way, however they typically work one way, and turn around as part of the crossing over the Tyne. It can carry 350 passengers in public service, or a reduced capacity of 250 on private hire. The Shieldsman was retired early in 2007, at the age of 30, to be replaced by the new The Spirit of the Tyne. Nexus sold the Shieldsman in 2008 to a private buyer from the Portsmouth area, who chose to remain anonymous. In March 2010, the Shieldsman was moored on the River AdurRiver Adur
The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river was formerly navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large port, but over time the river valley became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters nearer...
in Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
.
The Shieldsman was powered by twin 8lxb Gardner engines and the electricity was powered by Lister generators
The Pride of the Tyne
The Pride of the Tyne was built by Swan Hunters in nearby WallsendWallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
and entered service in 1993. It was a modified version of the Shieldsman and cost £1.5 million. The vessel also has a bar, The Admirals Locker, that is available on private hire. The vessel was also the first river ferry to incorporate all of the new safety features introduced after the Marchioness disaster
Marchioness disaster
The Marchioness disaster occurred on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989. The pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle, near Cannon Street Railway Bridge. There were 131 people on the Marchioness. Some were members of the crew, some...
in 1989.
The Pride of the Tyne was powered by twin Gardner 6lxdt with twin Perkin generators.
Mark Colvin, of Walkergate, was one of the structural steelwork designers who helped to create the 'Pride of the Tyne.
The Spirit of the Tyne
A new ferry, The Spirit of the Tyne, entered service in 2007, replacing the Shieldsman, which was retired after 30 years. The new ferry is an 'off the shelf' product and differs greatly from the Shieldsman and The Pride of the Tyne.South Shields Ferry Landing
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
Ferry Landing (54°59′50"N 1°26′27.8"W) was opened in July 1999 to replace a century old landing. The landing provides three berths as well as an indoor waiting room and offices.
North Shields Ferry Landing
North ShieldsNorth Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
Ferry Landing (55°0′13.9"N 1°26′38.3"W) was opened in July 2004 providing better accessibility and passenger waiting facilities than its predecessor which was built in a similar style to Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
Stations.
Future landings
Currently, there are plans for a landing stage to be added at Royal Quays International Ferry Terminal but these plans have been on the table for years.Users
The service is used by many commuters mainly from North TynesideNorth Tyneside
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall....
and South Tyneside
South Tyneside
South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear in North East England.It is bordered by four other boroughs - Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead to the west, Sunderland in the south, and North Tyneside to the north. The border county of Northumberland lies further north...
. The service provides a viable alternative to travelling via Newcastle city centre on the Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
or the Tyne Tunnel
Tyne Tunnel
The Tyne Tunnel is a the name given to two two-lane toll vehicular tunnels under the River Tyne in North East England. Completed in 1967 and 2011 respectively, they connect the town of Jarrow on the south bank of the river with North Shields and Howdon on the north...
. The Shields Ferry can be used by cyclists and is part of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
. All of the vessels in service with Nexus can carry wheelchairs.
Ticketing
Because Shields Ferry is operated by NexusTyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive using the brandname of Nexus, is the Passenger Transport Executive for the Tyne and Wear region of North East England....
which also operate the Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
, ticketing is integrated with the Metro ticketing system. Metro passes and tickets are valid on the Ferry as well as Tyne and Wear Network Tickets and Day Rovers. New style Transfare tickets can be purchased allowing one-way travel on Shields Ferry and either a bus or Metro. Tickets are purchased when boarding the ferry.