Renfrew Ferry

Ferry between Renfrew and Yoker

The Renfrew pier and slipway, with the Ferry Inn and the preserved marine engines from the paddle tug Clyde of 1851. One of the two Clydelink passenger ferries introduced in 2010 The second Clydelink passenger ferry introduced in 2010

The Renfrew Ferry is a passenger ferry service linking the north and south banks of the River Clyde in Scotland. The service, operated by Clydelink without subsidy, crosses between Renfrew and Yoker, close to Glasgow City Centre and is the last Clyde crossing this far upstream.

## History

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Originally the service operated from King's Inch, further upstream on land which is now the site of the Braehead Shopping Centre, but moved around two hundred years ago to better serve the town of Renfrew. In the 1960s there were many other crossings operating close to the Renfrew Ferry, mainly serving the dominant shipyards of the Clyde. The Erskine, Whiteinch, Partick, Govan and Finnieston ferries have all stopped providing the services as bridges and tunnels replaced them, but the Renfrew Ferry, being at a point where both tunnelling and bridging are difficult, has survived. It is the last operational Clyde crossing this far upstream, and the closest to Glasgow City Centre.

The service was passenger-only until the car boom of the 1950s and 1960s, when it became a car ferry. With the opening of the Clyde Tunnel just two miles upstream, which allowed faster crossings, the car service ceased in May 1984.[1] Now, due to expanding car use, the tunnel and surrounding routes are themselves frequently congested. One of the old car ferries can still be seen moored on the Broomielaw, in the city centre of Glasgow, where it is a popular entertainment and nightspot, also called the Renfrew Ferry.[2][3]

Yoker Swan Renfrew Rose mid-river

From 1984 until 2010 Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and its predecessor operated two passenger-only boats, appropriately named the MV Renfrew Rose and Yoker Swan. In 2007, a study was started to see the feasibility of replacing the ferry with a bridge, which would allow 24-hour crossings.[4] It would be necessary for the bridge to have a large clearance or be able to open, due to shipbuilding and other river navigation upstream on the River Clyde. The study found that a replacement bridge would cost around fifteen million pounds.[5]

The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport service ended at the end of March 2010, as part of moves to save £2.5M from their budget. The ferry was making an annual loss of £430,000[6] and SPT was providing a £3 subsidy for every £1.20 fare paid by passengers. Trials took place to ensure a seamless transition to a private sector service without subsidy.[7] Five contenders included Scottish bus company Stagecoach Group, with an amphibious bus[8] and Inverness-based Clyde River Taxis.[9] The successful company was Argyll-based Silvers Marine, operating as Clydelink, with a small, fast ferry.[10] They inaugurated their service using a William E. Munson Company aluminium vessel, capable of carrying 12 passengers.

The Renfrew Ferry figured prominently in the trial of Peter Manuel, with the ferryman as a key witness.

## Service

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The crossing, between the area of Yoker in Glasgow and the town of Renfrew in Renfrewshire, is only 200 metres, with graded slipways on each side. The service operates between 6.30 am and 9.30 pm, being on-demand at peak times and half-hourly at other times. The company plans to extend the service to Braehead.[11] The service has had reliability issues, with two weeks out of service in 2017 and three weeks in 2018 as of late June.

## Transport links

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The SPT Renfrew Rose leaving Yoker, seen from PS Waverley in 2009.

The Renfrew Ferry was a dedicated bus terminus on the southern side. In recent years, the opening of Braehead Shopping Centre has seen most services divert via Ferry Village to Braehead Bus Station, and few services now stop at the ferry slipway, most stopping some 200 m away. Services from FirstGroup and McGills are operated to Paisley, Govan, Renfrew, Glasgow, and Glasgow Airport.

The northern side is located near Dumbarton Road, which is a major bus artery with numerous services. These are operated to destinations such as Helensburgh, Clydebank, Anniesland, Partick and Balloch.

55°53′12″N 4°22′52″W﻿ / ﻿55.88667°N 4.38111°W﻿ / 55.88667; -4.38111

## See also

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* New River Clyde bridge, 2010s proposed replacement

## References

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1. ^ "Renfrew – Yoker ferry to stay". Secret Scotland. 10 October 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
2. ^ "The History of the Ferry". The Ferry. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
3. ^ "Renfrew Ferry". Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
4. ^ "Final Voyage for Renfrew Ferry". Paisley Daily Express. 3 October 2007.
5. ^ "Renfrew Ferry has a Future". Cruising Monthly News Archive 2008. 6 September 2008. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
6. ^ "Clyde ferry route to end in March". BBC News. 22 January 2010.
7. ^ "SPT working hard to secure Ferry replacement". Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
8. ^ David Taylor (5 February 2010). "Renfrew Ferry to be replaced by £700k amphibious bus". Daily Record. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
9. ^ "Small boat chosen to take over Renfrew ferry service". BBC News. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
10. ^ "Clydelink". Clydelink. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
11. ^ Vivienne Nicoll (20 March 2010). "Renfrew Ferry service saved as new operator takes helm". The Herald. Retrieved 4 April 2010.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Renfrew Ferry.

* Clydelink Ferry Site Archived on 28-10-2024
* History of the Renfrew-Yoker Ferry – Clyde Waterfront Heritage Archived on 28-10-2024
* History of King's Inch and the Renfrew Ferry

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River Clyde, Scotland

Administrative areas|

* South Lanarkshire
* North Lanarkshire
* Glasgow City
* West Dunbartonshire
* Renfrewshire
* Inverclyde
* Argyll and Bute

Flows into|

* Firth of Clyde, then North Channel

Settlements
(upstream to downstream)|

* Elvanfoot
* Abington
* Symington
* New Lanark
* Lanark
* Wishaw
* Motherwell
* Hamilton
* Bothwell
* Uddingston
* Cambuslang
* Rutherglen
* Glasgow
* Renfrew
* Clydebank
* Old Kilpatrick
* Dumbarton
* Port Glasgow
* Greenock
* Helensburgh
* Gourock
* Dunoon

Major tributaries
(upstream to downstream by confluence)|

* Daer Water
* Potrail Water
* Duneaton Water
* North Medwyn River
* South Medwyn River
* Douglas Water
* Mouse Water
* River Nethan
* Avon Water
* South Calder Water
* North Calder Water
* Rotten Calder
* River Kelvin
* River Cart
* River Leven

Major bridges and crossings
(upstream to downstream)|

* Elvanfoot Viaduct
* Elvanfoot Motorway Bridge
* Elvanfoot Bridge
* Camps Road Bridge
* Crawford Viaduct
* Abington Bridge
* Wandel Road Bridge
* Clyde's Bridge
* Lamington Viaduct
* Lamington Bridge
* Wolfclyde Bridge
* Thankerton Bridge
* Pettinain Bridge
* Hyndford Bridge
* Bonnington Weir
* Clydesholm Bridge
* Kirkfieldbank Bridge
* Crossford Bridge
* Garrion Bridge
* Camp Viaduct
* Clyde Bridge
* Raith Bridge
* East Kilbride Expressway Bridge
* Bothwell Bridge
* David Livingstone Memorial Bridge
* Uddingston Footbridge
* Uddingston Viaduct
* Haughhead Bridge
* Westburn Viaduct
* Clydeford Bridge
* Cambuslang Bridge
* Bogleshole Road Bridge
* Clydebridge Viaduct
* Auchenshuggle Bridge
* Cuningar Loop Footbridge
* Dalmarnock Bridge
* Dalmarnock Railway Bridge
* Shawfield Smartbridge
* Rutherglen Bridge
* Polmadie Bridge
* King's Bridge
* St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge
* Pipe Bridge and Weir
* Albert Bridge
* City Union Bridge
* Victoria Bridge
* South Portland Street Suspension Bridge
* Glasgow Bridge
* Caledonian Railway Bridge
* George V Bridge
* Tradeston Bridge
* Kingston Bridge
* Clyde Arc
* Bell's Bridge
* Millennium Bridge
* Govan–Partick Bridge
* Clyde Tunnel
* Renfrew Ferry
* Renfrew Bridge
* Erskine Ferry
* Erskine Bridge

Longest rivers of the United Kingdom

1. Severn
2. Thames
3. Trent
4. Great Ouse
5. Wye
6. Ure/Ouse
7. Tay
8. Spey
9. Clyde
10. Tweed
11. Avon
12. Nene
13. Eden
14. Dee

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Current ferry operators of Scotland

International|

* Kintyre Express
* P&O Ferries
* Stena Line

Domestic|

* Caledonian MacBrayne
* Clydelink
* Corran Ferry
* Cromarty Ferry Company
* Isle of Skye Ferry Company
* Jura Ferry
* NorthLink Ferries
* Orkney Ferries
* Pentland Ferries
* SIC Ferries
* Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust
* Western Ferries

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