Shields Ferry service cancelled for a week while repairs are carried out to its landing

The service came to a halt at around 10am today, Friday, February 5, following concerns about the structure on the north side of the River Tyne.

It was already undergoing work when the difficult conditions prompted its closure on safety grounds while it is completed.

Nexus, the public body which owns operates the cross-Tyne service, says it has also halted the service as a safety precaution due to the added impact of the bad weather conditions.

An hourly replacement bus services that operates via Tyne Tunnel is being provided to passengers while the ferry service remains suspended.

Customer services director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “We need to keep the ferry closed for a week while we carry out repairs to the north landing.

“This is a safety precaution until these repair works are completed.

“The bad weather conditions on the River Tyne are also a factor in the temporary closure.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience this may cause.

"Passenger numbers remain extremely due to the ongoing lockdown.

“We are providing a frequent replacement bus service via Tyne Tunnel so that passengers can make their journeys with as little disruption as possible until we can re-open the ferry.”

The replacement buses run on the hour and on the half hour from each ferry landing.

These are the same as the normal ferry times from North Shields, but are not the same as the normal ferry times from South Shields.

This is because the replacement bus service takes longer than the ferry to travel between the two landings.

The buses operate between South Shields ferry landing and North Shields landing via the Tyne Tunnel.

From South Shields the buses depart from the bus stop on Ferry Street, outside the BT building

From North Shields the buses depart from the bus stop on North Quay at the end of the ferry landing.

Passengers are advised to keep any eye on the Nexus website, www.nexus.org.uk and the ferry’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theshieldsferry/.

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