Feasibility studies are being undertaken to see if ferry crossings between New Brighton and Liverpool's pier could one day return, more than half a century after the service was scrapped. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said reinstating the crossings is something he would “love to do.”
New vessel sparks hope
The first brand new Mersey Ferry in 60 years set sail on her maiden voyage across the river after an official naming ceremony last month. The £26m Royal Daffodil is expected to enter into passenger services officially in the coming weeks.
Mr Rotheram was one of the dignitaries on board the vessel for the ceremony and has revealed work is now ongoing to potentially re-establish the river crossing that was cancelled in 1971. The landing platform that served it was demolished in 1973.
Mayor's memories of the resort
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, the Metro Mayor said he would "love" to bring the ferry back. He said: “You used to be able to get the ferry to New Brighton but they had a lido and it seemed every summer lasted forever didn’t it?
"It was so exciting, it was a buzz and I’d love to see a return to something like that.
“We are genuinely looking at the feasibility of what we can do on the ferry, so can we have new terminals and all that sort of stuff? They are expensive but we’re having a look at it.”
Engineering challenges ahead
Despite the desire to bring back crossings, Mr Rotheram admitted it isn't plain sailing. He said: “You can’t just build a thing and then people get on that and off it because the river has nearly an 11 metre differential between high and low tides, you have to have something that floats, a pontoon.
"It has to be fixed to the riverbed, so there’s huge engineering and costs to it. Would I like to do it? Yeah. Will we be able to do it? We’re having a look.”
