Many people continue to ask, “what’s happening with the Parramatta Ferry services? Are we going to get our commuter service back?” These twin questions are regularly asked especially by those who remember the original Parramatta Ferry services. You will recall that in October 2007, the Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Sydney Ferries Cooperation (Walker Report) recommended the current service be terminated at Rydalmere. If implemented, this effectively cuts off water-based public transport to and from Parramatta.

It might interest you to know that the existing RiverCat service to Parramatta these days has been reduced to a tourist service estimated to be worth $8m annually. There are now no Parramatta Ferry services during peak periods, instead its first service arriving to Parramatta just after 10 am on weekdays.

In response, in April 2008, Council released a comprehensive and independent Council-commissioned research on current ferry users and potential users of the Parramatta RiverCat service. The research confirmed that a commuter service was viable and had strong community support for its re-introduction.

In May 2008, Council then released further information from three Freedom of Information (FoI) requests which revealed an increased level of Parramatta Ferries’ cancellations and delays, poor and only relatively recent information on patronage levels of the Parramatta leg, as well as insufficient information to judge and compare exact operating costs for the Parramatta leg.

The NSW Government’s Ministry of Transport’s EoI process for Parramatta Ferry services recently closed on 30 January 2009 and will announce any future tender process by 27 March 2009. The proposed contract is for ferry services between Parramatta and Circular Quay and/or Darling Harbour.

What concerns me is that the proposed contract will be for the same services currently being experienced, which renders any private operator potentially unable to deliver a financially viable commuter service. But let's wait and see.

Stay tuned for more information.

External Links:

1. NSW Government's Ministry of Transport's Expressions of Interest

2. Parramatta City Council's Independent Ferry Research

3. Parramatta City Council's Independent Ferry Research - Executive Summary