Purchase of new ferries for Sydney's busy Parramatta River shelved

The state government has shelved the purchase of new ferries for Parramatta route after failing to receive suitable offers from shipbuilders.

The decision comes as the government is urged to do more to avoid ferries leaving passengers behind at Parramatta River wharves over the busy summer months because they are full.

Parramatta River ferries have been reaching capacity from as early as 10.30am in recent days due to the fine weather enticing more people onto the water.

A population boom along the banks of the Parramatta River is adding to demand for ferry services.Credit: Nick Moir

Government documents obtained by the Herald show the replacement of Sydney's ferries is one of scores of "major funding pressures" facing the state's transport agencies.

The documents show the government estimates the cost of replacing seven RiverCat vessels, nine First Fleet ferries and two HarbourCats over the next seven years at about $120 million.

Under the most recent plans to modernise Sydney's ferry fleet, the government sought expressions of interest in September 2017 from shipbuilders for four ferries each capable of carrying 150 passengers along the Parramatta River.

Demand for ferry services on the Parramatta River soars over the summer months.Credit: Nick Moir

It also sought options to buy more ferries to cater for longer term growth.

However, the leaked documents show there was a lack of suitable "off-the-shelf" designs for new ferries from shipbuilders.

And the transport agency has also told a community group at Cabarita that the market response to its tender for four new ferries did not meet its "business requirements".

Under the original time frame, the first of the new ferries that Transport for NSW planned to buy were due to start services on the Parramatta River by mid this year.

Diane Brown, a spokeswoman for the Friends of Cabarita Park and Wharf, said the group was concerned that the government's promises for new ferries for the Parramatta River had failed to materialise and resourcing continued to fall short of demand, especially over summer.

"It is school holidays and in particular the summer school break when they reach capacity. I have been stranded at Cabarita on numerous occasions during the school holidays," she said. "Their own numbers support what we are saying – it is not just us whingeing."

A spokesman for the Transport Management Centre said ferries on Parramatta River had been operating at capacity from as early as 10.30am to as late as 7pm in recent days due to the balmy weather encouraging more people onto the water.

"It is not uncommon for ferry services to fill up during the day [over the summer holidays], particularly on the Parramatta River," he said.

The Marlene Mathews RiverCat on the Parramatta River last week.Credit: Nick Moir

The demand for ferry services also reflects fast-growing growing populations in spots along the river's banks such as Olympic Park and Breakfast Point.

The shelving of new ferries for Parramatta River comes ahead of the expiry of the $871 million contract for the operation of Sydney's government-owned ferries in the middle of this year. The contract has been held by Transdev-owned Harbour City Ferries since 2012.

Harbour City Ferries has bid for the new contract to operate the city's ferries. The successful bidder is expected to be named within the next three months.

A spokesman for Transport for NSW confirmed that it had decided against proceeding with the purchase of four new ferries after "lower than expected interest from the market" and responses that did not "meet its business requirements".

But he said the agency was looking at different options for a new fleet as part of the tender for the operation of Sydney Ferries. In 2017, 30 extra weekly services were put on the F3 Parramatta River route, while more were added during the summer months, he said.

Six catamaran ferries that the government purchased from Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat were pressed into service in 2017 on Sydney Harbour routes. They were the first new vessels in the government-owned fleet since 2000 and 2001, when four SuperCats entered service.