Electric ferry service ‘shovel ready’

An electric ferry service to Wellington Airport and Miramar Peninsula is “shovel ready”.

That’s according to East By West Ferries, which operates the Wellington to Days Bay/Eastbourne ferry route.

It has let the Government know that its plans for a new ferry service from Wellington CBD to Wellington Airport and Miramar Peninsula are “shovel ready”.

The project will use all-electric ferries to be built in Wellington and will include refurbishment of Miramar Wharf.

The ferry operator is in the final stages of completing the Southern Hemisphere’s first fully electric ferry for the Days Bay route, and has been developing the new airport/Miramar ferry project for more than two years.

“The infrastructure for marine public transport is ferries and wharves, and we can start construction within six months,” East By West managing director Jeremy Ward says.

The service will have a ferry departing every 15 minutes during peak hours and will run from Queen’s Wharf in the heart of Wellington to Miramar Wharf, at the end of the airport runway. A dedicated electric shuttle bus service will transfer passengers along Cobham Drive to the airport.

“We can guarantee a city to airport door journey of under 20 minutes”, says Ward.

“Miramar Peninsula and Seatoun residents will have a fast, reliable commuting option to the city, with easy access to Miramar Wharf by cycling, walking and local public bus services.”

The 100-year-old Miramar Wharf has been closed to the public since 2015 and needs refurbishment before it can be reopened. The project costs will include working with CentrePort to renew the wharf.

“At under $25 million for all the infrastructure needed, it’s a bargain compared with the costs of new roading projects, and its much, much greener,” says Ward.