Woolwich Free Ferry

Woolwich Ferry

James Newman approaching Woolwich in December 2015
Locale	Woolwich, London
Waterway	River Thames
Transit type	Passenger and vehicle ferry
Owner	London River Services (Transport for London)
Operator	Briggs Marine
Began operation	23 March 1889; 128 years ago (1889-03-23)
No. of lines	1
No. of vessels	3 (2 used for service)
No. of terminals	2
Daily ridership	7,100
Website	Official website

The Woolwich Ferry is a free vehicle ferry service across the River Thames in East London, connecting Woolwich to the south with North Woolwich to the north. It is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of Transport for London (TfL). The service is operated by Briggs Marine under licence from TfL and carries both foot passengers and vehicles. Around two million passengers use the ferry each year.

There has been a ferry operating in Woolwich since the 14th century, and commercial crossings operated intermittently until the mid-19th century. The free service opened in 1889, following the abolition of tolls across bridges to the west of London. Traffic increased in the 20th century owing to the rise in motor vehicle use, and because of the lack of nearby fixed crossings of the Thames it has remained popular, although pedestrian use has dropped as a result of the construction of a parallel foot tunnel and the extension of the Docklands Light Railway through to Woolwich Arsenal station. Alternatives such as the Thames Gateway Bridge and the Gallions Reach Crossing have been proposed as replacements, but there are no immediate plans to discontinue the Woolwich Ferry as long as there is a demand.

The service links Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich with North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. It also links two ends of the inner London orbital road routes: the North Circular and the South Circular.

On weekdays, the ferry operates from 6.10 am until 8 pm with a two-boat service (10 minutes nominal interval between sailings); on Saturdays, from 6.10 am to 8 pm with a one-boat service (15 minutes nominal interval; the last south-to-north sailing is 15 minutes earlier at 7.45 pm); on Sundays, from 11.30 am to 7.30 pm with a one-boat service (last south-to-north sailing at 7.15 pm). The ferries can carry heavy goods vehicles and other road traffic across the river, up to a maximum height of 4.7 metres (15 ft) and width of 3.5 metres (11 ft). The service is free for all traffic; in 2012 Transport for London (TfL) estimated a subsidy cost of 76.5p per passenger.