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FAC chair floats smaller ferry for Langdale run

Transportation
ferry
Rendering of BC Ferries’ new intermediate-class ferry that will carry up to 145 vehicles and 600 passengers.

 

The chair of the Southern Sunshine Coast ferry advisory committee (FAC) is floating the idea of eventually replacing the Queen of Surrey with a smaller vessel for Route 3 between Langdale and Horseshoe Bay.

Barry Cavens, speaking Monday to the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s transportation advisory committee, said the public will have an opportunity between October and March to provide feedback on BC Ferries’ Performance Term 4 (PT4), which covers the period ending March 31, 2020.

While a key focus of PT4 will be the approval of new fare caps, Cavens said the public should also look at whether an intermediate-class ferry with more frequent sailings should be considered as an option for Route 3, in light of high capital costs.

“Ships are expensive, terminal improvements are expensive,” Cavens said. “And I think in this process we can start asking questions. Have we got the right sized boat? Do we need to use smaller boats?”

In July, the province awarded a $165-million contract to a shipbuilding firm in Poland for three intermediate-class vessels that will each accommodate 145 vehicles and 600 passengers. The Queen of Surrey can carry 360 vehicles (including 12 semis) and 1,488 passengers and crew.

“I’ve had a comment from BC Ferries that maybe we should look at a boat of this type for our route,” Cavens said, adding that the smaller boat could possibly run on an hourly schedule.

“The advantage of going with these new style boats … is that it’s only one loading deck. Therefore our capital plans for the terminal down at Langdale, maybe they should be looked at in the fact that then we don’t need double loading. That reduces the cost substantially.”

During his presentation, Cavens said Route 3 earned $9.5 million more than it cost to run the service in the year ending March 31. However, after capital costs for vessels and terminal upgrades were factored in, the route lost $3.9 million.

Interviewed later in the day, Cavens said the coming six-month window when public feedback will be sought on PT4 is the time to look at options.

“If they’re going to spend millions of dollars in changes to Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, those costs are embedded forever.”

Asked if there would be a long-term risk of reduced schedules with smaller vessels further degrading the service, Cavens said: “I don’t know. I think we have to be optimistic that we’re all trying to do the right thing. I’m just trying to match the size of the boat to the traffic.”

Based on the latest BC Ferries figures, the utilization rate for Route 3 is about 55 per cent. While that figure is “better than a lot of other routes,” passenger and vehicle numbers are dropping, Cavens noted.

BC Ferries is expected to submit its PT4 documents — traffic forecasts and projected costs of capital and operations for the next four years — to ferries commissioner Gord Macatee by Sept. 30, and they will be posted online.

Macatee will set preliminary fare caps by March 31, 2015 and final fare caps in September 2015 after the provincial government reviews the proposals. The fare caps will come into effect starting the following year.
A 3.9 per cent fare hike has already been set for April 1, 2015.

The three intermediate-class ferries are scheduled for delivery starting in 2016, with one of them to replace the 49-year-old Queen of Burnaby between Powell River and Comox. The other two will serve the Southern Gulf Islands.

The Queen of Surrey was launched in 1980 and upgraded in 2006 for a 20-year service extension.