Unreliable Northcote Point ferry wharf needs upgrade, councillor says

Thursday, 21 June 2018

Northcote Point Wharf is closed - again.

An Auckland ferry wharf plagued by bad-weather closures has been shut until further notice, once again leaving ferry commuters in a bad mood.

Big swells and an undisclosed problem identified in routine structural assessments saw Northcote Point Wharf closed at 6pm on June 20.

'This is a precautionary measure and at this stage the reopening is dependent on what further inspections might find over the next few days,' Auckland Transport's James Ireland said.

Last year, Stuff revealed the Northcote Point ferry service was cancelled more than twice as often as any other ferry service in the city.

**READ MORE:

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The wharf, which is close to Auckland Harbour Bridge, is vulnerable to the weather as it is exposed to wind and tidal flows.

North Shore councillor Richard Hills said he was frustrated with the ongoing issues with the wharf and AT's reluctance to invest in a fix.

'We are stuck in limbo and I don't think it is fair on local residents who are doing their best to use public transport,' Hills said.

'For the last eight years I have been asking for an all-weather wharf upgrade. Some weeks it goes well, but every couple of weeks an issue pops up.'

AT's records show 80 people catch the ferry from Northcote each day.

Hills said if the wharf was improved the number of passengers would increase.

'I believe people don't see it as a reliable service.

'AT look at the figures on paper but in my view if they invested in the wharf there would be a big rise in the number of users taking a ferry to work because they would be guaranteed to be able to get home again,' Hills said.

An upgrade to the Northcote Point ferry terminal was proposed in the draft Regional Land Transport Plan, at an estimated cost of $11 million.

But the project did not receive funding from AT and was not included in the signed-off version of the plan.