Shields Ferry Evening Crossings Suspended, Citing ‘Unexpected Bad Luck’

The suspension of evening crossings on the Shields Ferry, effective until at least January, has been attributed to a “random series of unexpected bad luck”. Nexus, the operator of the Tyne and Wear Metro, implemented a reduced timetable on Monday. Under this schedule, the final service departs South Shields at 17:45 GMT and North Shields at 18:00 on weekdays, with no Sunday service. Managing director Cathy Massarella stated that the situation was caused by a “spate of long-term sickness” in conjunction with funding limitations. Concurrently, when questioned about the new Metro trains, she expressed that she was “the most positive” she had “ever been” that the initial train would commence operation by the close of the year. Ms Massarella informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service that transport executives had “explored every alternative” to maintain the night-time ferry services. “We have been hit by an unprecedented and extremely unexpected series of long-term sickness,” she said. “It is a small team. Funding-wise we cannot afford to block in too much contingency and can’t bring in lots of additional staff.” She indicated that reducing the service represented “the most robust and guaranteed solution” they could offer, enabling commuters to cross the Tyne during peak hours. In parallel, Metro passengers have received assurances that the first of the new £362m fleet will be prepared to enter passenger service before the end of the year. The Swiss-built carriages were initially intended to begin operation in summer 2023; however, their deployment has experienced multiple delays. Ms Massarella refrained from specifying a more precise date, but affirmed that a new train would be incorporated into the timetable “as soon as it is feasible to do so”. “What I would say is that I am the most positive I have been that we are on a straight trajectory now and it is just about the pieces dropping into place,” she said. “I am not foreseeing any issues.”