Is a ferry to the new Fish Market even necessary? The light rail line will be more frequent and a metro station will open nearby in 2032. The water corridor from Barangaroo is slow and circuitous.

This is welcome news! - a ferry shuttle from Balmain East to Barangaroo straight after fireworks have finished. A big improvement over last year’s dangerous situation, but will also require effective crowd management on the wharf and landside.

Are the passenger information displays for Dulwich Hill light rail faulty? Rarely seem to display the correct real time.

How the Sydney Opera House and well designed ferry schedules have something in common robinsandell.substack.com/p/periodic-s...

I’ve been spoiled - a week-end away on Pittwater for my birthday.

Before it was built, I was skeptical about the value of the Pier Pavillion. Changed my mind now - it’s a magnet for Barangaroo office workers at lunch-time.

73% of Copenhageners don’t own a car, and the city has made huge strides reclaiming public space for people that had been previously surrendered to cars. Now candidates in the upcoming city election want to prioritize “car storage” again. Not surprisingly, @colville-andersen.com isn’t holding back.

This is a great website on station access and line transfers in cities around the world (mainly European). Look at Milan Centrale station for great access points. Sydney Metro stations are not really like this. stations.albertguillaumes.cat

An excellent piece by @Darrendavis.bsky.social on the transformation of Auckland’s bus network. adventuresintransitland.substack.com?utm_source=n...

It’s one of the striking differences between US and Australian cities - almost no one drives to a stadium in Australia. They take public transport instead.

There’s a lot of treasures to be discovered in Sydney. This is one I discovered at Open Sydney today.

There are good reasons for pausing redevelopment of Circular Quay. One is the need to first develop a strategy for introducing a battery electric ferry fleet, with big implications for wharf design and the network as a whole. www.architectureanddesign.com.au/editorial/op...

Always impressed at how easily Sydney Trains handles a big crowd leaving Sydney Olympic Park Stadium. Really well designed station, which will be supplemented by the new metro service from 2032.

The new seat covers on the Emerald Class ferries have been a good move. Much easier to clean than the old ones.

Just watched 126 people disembark a ferry at Milsons Point in 2 mins 51 secs. That’s 45 per minute. Many other cities do far better. Vessel/wharf interface design is so important for reliability and efficient capacity utilisation, but little priority is given to it in Sydney.

These comments from the NSW Govt suggest a lack of ambition in transport. No confidence it can plan new projects to completion - better to have no long term planning so we can’t be criticised for not doing what we promised.

I’m shocked - 38 passengers boarded at Balmain West for the 0806 sailing this morning. But little demand at either Chiswick (3, including me) or Drummoyne (6). The service doesn’t work for the river pax as it’s too much of a diversion into Balmain West - adds 7 mins to the journey.

Good ferry service from Chiswick.

Canada Bay Mayor calls for ferry wharf at Rhodes on ABC radio this morning. I feared this after Balmain West wharf reopened. Everyone wants a ferry wharf, but not every location is suitable. Navigable channel at Rhodes is a long way from the shore. Long ramp reqd, stopping other uses of the waterway

I’m less concerned about the Wynyard LR stop location than the stop between Wynyard and Town Hall. It should be equidistant between the two (Strand Arcade), instead of QVB. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Understanding network topology is vital for good design of public transport systems. Here's something I've posted about its applications to urban ferries robinsandell.substack.com/p/network-to...

Ruby Payne Scott loads passengers at Balmain West wharf this morning. First day for the reopening of Balmain West wharf.

How direct is your ferry line? open.substack.com/pub/robinsan...

Will transitioning from diesel to battery electric propulsion mean longer turnarounds at terminals for urban transit ferries? Bigger fleets and pressure on terminal capacity? Maybe, but there are ways to minimise the impact. substack.com/home/post/p-...

The new timetable for the F3 Parramatta ferry route, to take effect from 18 August, is now available. It’s good news for Balmain West as the journey to Barangaroo is scheduled to take just 15 minutes. transportnsw.info/documents/ti...

Some things take a long time don’t they? This is the latest post on the Watsons Bay wharf upgrade site - looks like responses to feedback on the design for the new wharf haven’t been finalised yet - 2.5 years after consultations closed.

This is some salutary information from NZ electric ferry designers EV Maritime - 75% of Auckland's ferry services burn more fuel than the car journeys they replace. Sydney's numbers may be a little different but the principle is the same - decarbonising Sydney ferries needs to be a high priority.

Ferries are returning to Balmain West wharf on 18 August. It's an additional sub line on the Parramatta River with stops at Huntleys Pt, Drummoyne and BW, terminating at Barangaroo. Shouldn't disadvantage existing F3 passengers but headways are long - 60 mins transportnsw.info/news/2025/ba...

@secondmentions.bsky.social today in the Herald: "A whale frolicking in Circular Quay thrilled commuters and forced ferries to stop and watch the show as the *migratory giant* surfaced from the glittering waters on a sightseeing trip that ticked off Luna Park, the Opera House and Garden Island."

An almost empty Freshwater Class ferry on the 10.45 sailing to Manly. Beautiful still sunny day in Sydney, but most people prefer a fast ferry.

Fish waste on a ferry wharf seat. Do people who fish at ferry wharves think this is ok?

The Philadelphia area transit agency SEPTA is facing 45% service cuts, thanks to the Pennsylvania legislature. Not since the mid-20th century has the US seen a major urban transit network dismantled on this scale. Chicago could be next. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Why is it that the Freshwater Class ferries are cancelled in rough weather, while the smaller Manly Fast Ferry cats continue sailing? Answer: the Freshwaters don’t handle bad weather very well.

Chris Taylor accurately sums up the Balmain zeitgeist www.smh.com.au/national/can...

Technical trials of Auckland’s first all electric fast ferry started today. Like Sydney’s diesel Parramatta class boats, it’s 24m long, carries 200 pax and has a top speed of 25 knots. www.nzherald.co.nz/business/wat...

The little coves at Barangaroo are a sun trap in winter, making them a magnet for the lunch-time crowds.

Surprising that a spend of $71m to extend the life of 3 Manly ferries to 2030 has not come under more scrutiny. Passengers prefer fast, frequent ferries. A combination of NRMA and SF fast ferries offers a more regular 10 minute headway service with full Opal benefits www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

The world’s largest battery electric ferry has been launched. Built in Hobart by Incat, it’s 130 m long, nearly twice the length of Freshwater class ferries. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

On the F10 route today for the first time since a stop was added at Pirrama Park, Pyrmont Bay. Turnarounds at both terminals are about 4 mins, 3 more than what is necessary - so close, but so far from having an agreeable cycle time of 30 mins (ie also 30 min headways). 40 min headways are a pain!

Public discussions about changes to the ferry network rarely consider issues of geometry and connection. Any ferry route to the fish market will be slow because the water corridor is circuitous and tough speed restrictions apply www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

A new ferry stop will be added to the F10 Blackwattle Bay line from Monday. But it comes at a cost. There’s only one vessel assigned to the route and this means F10 headways will widen from 30 mins to 40 mins to accommodate the extra stop in the cycle.

Always admired the work of Vukan Vuchic’s work on public transit planning, but to my shame I previously paid little attention to what he wrote about network topology. Thank you @sybilderrible.com and @transportist.net for leading me to this treasure trove!

Not seeing any heritage references in the revamped Paddy’s Market. Looks like a cheap and nasty Westfield.

Manly Fast Ferry and Newcastle Ferry numbers are now being reported separately from Sydney Ferries patronage - but some bugs need to be ironed out clearly.

On paper, the 442 bus is a high frequency service with 10 minute headways. In reality the buses often bunch and it’s a bloody pain.

Thank you @transportist.net for the open source book “A web of nets…” It’s like an introductory encyclopaedia of networks - a very useful starting point for transferring concepts between diverse and superficially unrelated disciplines.

Good thread!

More staff alone will not fix dangerous situations like this. Unfortunately high demand wharves in Sydney are often not properly designed to handle large crowds. youtube.com/watch?v=yTWE...

The very large electric ferry under construction at Incat in Hobart youtu.be/4rR57tXdOHQ