 Esme Timbery undergoing testing in February 2021 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Transdev Sydney Ferries |
| Preceded by | RiverCats |
| Built | 2020 |
| In service | 2021 |
| Planned | 10 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Catamaran |
| Length | 25 metres |
| Beam | 7 metres |
| Decks | 2 |
| Capacity | 200 |
| Crew | 3 |
The River Class is a ferry type operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries on Sydney Harbour.
In September 2017, Transport for NSW called for expressions of interest for four new ferries for Parramatta River ferry services. [1] However, after the bids were higher than expected, the project was shelved. [2]
Upon being awarded the contract to operate the Sydney Ferries concession in 2019, Transdev Sydney Ferries placed an order for 10 new ferries to be built in Indonesia. [3]
The first four arrived in Newcastle in August 2020 for final works and trials. The ferries were purchased to replace the SuperCat and HarbourCat-class Ferries. [4] [5] All were named after artists, athletes and authors. [6]
The first entered service in October 2021, confined to daytime service until deemed suitable for night time operations. [7]
In late 2022 the government announced it was looking for tenders to build a new fleet of RiverClass to replace the RiverCat-class Ferries
Identified defects on the ferries include asbestos, sub-standard fit and finish, wheelhouse window angles making night operations dangerous, engine stalling, potential of fires or electrocution caused by sub standard electrical equipment/cabling and sub-standard steering components. Rectifying these issues have pushed the in service date out by over a year. [8]
| Name | Call sign | MMSI | Shipyard number | Keel laid | Namesake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethel Turner | 457589 | 503106710 | H388 | 25 February 2020 | Ethel Turner |
| Ruth Park | 457593 | 503106750 | H389 | 29 February 2020 | Ruth Park |
| Cheryl Salisbury | 457597 | 503106690 | H390 | 23 March 2020 | Cheryl Salisbury |
| Lauren Jackson | 458798 | 503106730 | H391 | 23 March 2020 | Lauren Jackson |
| Liz Ellis | 457600 | 503106740 | H392 | 23 March 2020 | Liz Ellis |
| Kurt Fearnley | 457594 | 503106720 | H393 | 23 March 2020 | Kurt Fearnley |
| Olive Cotton | 457555 | 503100450 | H395 | 25 August 2019 | Olive Cotton |
| Margaret Olley | 457590 | 503100470 | H396 | 25 August 2019 | Margaret Olley |
| Esme Timbery | 457595 | 503100460 | H397 | 25 August 2019 | Esme Timbery |
| Ruby Langford Ginibi | 457591 | 503100480 | H398 | 25 August 2019 | Ruby Langford Ginibi |
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Sydney Ferries is the public transport ferry network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales. Services operate on Sydney Harbour and the connecting Parramatta River. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, and is part of the authority's Opal ticketing system. In 2017–18, 15.3 million passenger journeys were made on the network.
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Transdev Sydney Ferries, formerly Harbour City Ferries, is a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia, and is the operator of ferry services in the Sydney Ferries network since July 2012. It currently operates the ferry network under a contract until June 2028. As part of the operation contract, Transdev Sydney Ferries leases both the Balmain Maintenance Facility and the fleet from the government agency Sydney Ferries.
Transdev Australasia is an operator of bus, ferry, light rail and rail services in Australia and New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of French-based, international Transdev. It was formed in 2013 by grouping the operations of Veolia Transport Australia and former Transdev together, as a result of the global rebranding from Veolia Transdev to Transdev.
The Pyrmont Bay ferry service, officially known as F4 Pyrmont Bay, is a commuter ferry service in Sydney, New South Wales. Part of the Sydney Ferries network, it is operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries and services the Lavender Bay and Darling Harbour areas. It began operation on 25 October 2020, and replaced the western half of the F4 Cross Harbour ferry service. Emerald-class ferries and SuperCat ferries operate the service.
The First Fleet class is a class of ferry operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries on Sydney Harbour.
The Sydney RiverCats are a class of catamarans operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries on the Parramatta River. They serve alongside HarbourCat class ferries.
The Sydney SuperCats are a class of catamarans operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries on Sydney Harbour.
The Emerald ferry class is a class of ferry operated by Sydney Ferries on Sydney Harbour.
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The Cockatoo Island ferry service, officially known as F8 Cockatoo Island, is a commuter ferry service in Sydney, Australia. Part of the Sydney Ferries network, it is operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries and services the Balmain, Greenwich, Woolwich and Cockatoo Island areas of Sydney Harbour.
The Watsons Bay ferry service, officially known as F9 Watsons Bay, is a commuter ferry service in Sydney, New South Wales. Part of the Sydney Ferries network, it is operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries and services the Rose Bay and Watsons Bay areas. It began operation on 25 October 2020 and replaced the eastern half of the F4 Cross Harbour service. Emerald-class ferries and SuperCat ferries operate the service.
Sydney Harbour ferry services date back to the first years of Sydney's European settlement. Slow and sporadic boats ran along the Parramatta River from Sydney to Parramatta and served the agricultural settlements in between. By the mid-1830s, speculative ventures established regular services. From the late-nineteenth century the North Shore developed rapidly. A rail connection to Milsons Point took alighting ferry passengers up the North Shore line to Hornsby, New South Wales via North Sydney. Without a bridge connection, increasingly large fleets of steamers serviced the cross harbour routes and in the early twentieth century, Sydney Ferries Limited was the largest ferry operator in the world.
Media related to River ferry class at Wikimedia Commons