New electric-battery passenger ferry service proposed to link downtown Vancouver with Bowen Island and Sunshine Coast

Mar 7 2023, 1:44 am

If all goes as planned, there could be a new passenger-only ferry service linking downtown Vancouver with Bowen Island and Sunshine Coast by 2025.

And it would use two 100% electric-battery vessels to enable relatively frequent service throughout the day, and for enhanced reliability and redundancy.

Callum Campbell, the founder and CEO of Greenline Ferries, told Daily Hive Urbanized his company’s proposed service would use a new Norwegian model of zero-emission, all-electric catamaran vessel. It was created by a research and development project backed by the European Union, with the prototype — called the MS Medstraum — seeing success ever since it entered service in Norway in September 2022.

“There could be so much more to coastal travel in BC than car ferry service. We like to think of Greenline as the waterway extension to all the new mobility modes that have rewired Vancouver in the past 20 years,” said Campbell.

“If we really believe the words we say about climate action, about modal shift, about reducing vehicle kilometres travelled, about equity and accessibility, then a robust passenger-only ferry system is the way to expand our coastal travel. Greenline is here, and we are relentless in making that happen.”

MS Medstraum electric ferry tram project

The electric-battery MS Medstraum ferry vessel in Norway. (TRAM Project)

MS Medstraum electric ferry tram project

The electric-battery MS Medstraum ferry vessel in Norway. (TRAM Project)

Each vessel will seat 150 passengers and provide 20 dedicated bike racks, and their design is easily accessible for individuals with mobility needs.

The top speed of the vessels is 27 knots (50 km/hr), but without excess noise or vibration, and with minimal wake — unlike other models of high-speed, catamaran ferries that have been used in the past for BC’s coast.

The intention is to have Greenline Ferries’ docks and terminals located next to existing transportation hubs. The exact proposed location for the downtown Vancouver terminal has not been determined, but he suggests the outer berths of TransLink’s SeaBus terminal at Waterfront Station would be ideal, enabling passengers to connect with public transit services, especially SkyTrain, with ease.

The Bowen Island dock could be located at Snug Cove or a new development in Seymour Bay, while the Sunshine Coast dock could be at Gibsons Landing or near the Gibsons Public Market.

The end-to-end travel times are estimated to be 75 minutes for the route between downtown Vancouver and Gibsons, and 45 minutes between downtown Vancouver and Bowen Island. Manual shore charging infrastructure, similar to six car charging plugs, would replenish the batteries, with the downtime between sailings enabling the vessels to recharge.

greenline ferries routes vancouver

Map of the proposed GreenLine Ferries routes between downtown Vancouver and Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast. (Greenline)

Campbell says the service is primarily intended to provide commuters from coastal communities with an alternative way to get around.

When asked about Greenline’s potential fares, he says they “need to be competitive with other available options, both in terms of travel time and cost,” and the service also enables passengers to avoid the traffic congestion on the North Shore bridges and removes the need to show up to the terminal early to claim a reservation.

A possible schedule of the sailings shows there could be as many as about a dozen sailings leaving downtown Vancouver per day, with the first sailing at 5:50 am and the last sailing at 10:20 pm.

“To make a passenger-only ferry system work, it has to be more than a dock-to-dock service. This is especially so for tourists travelling to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast where the main draw is to get-off the beaten path and discover things for yourself. So Greenline’s job is to find ways to help people do that even without taking their own car,” he said, noting that they will explore partnerships with land-based transportation services to help complete the journey of passengers at both destinations.

There will also be an emphasis on getting around by walking, cycling, and public transit buses. For those who do need car transport, they will look into creating convenient pick-up/drop-off areas at the terminals on Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Campbell says his team is in the process of completing their business case to prove the feasibility of their service, particularly with ridership modelling. They are also in discussions with the federal government on potential financial support.

If they receive the necessary financing before the end of this year, construction on both vessels could begin in 2024, and the service could launch in 2025.

MS Medstraum electric ferry tram project

The electric-battery MS Medstraum ferry vessel in Norway. (TRAM Project)

The Greenline team is based in Victoria, and Campbell says they have the strong financial and business background to develop the necessary strategy, fundraising, and financial planning. Campbell was also previously the director of the BC Ministry of Transportation’s Inland Ferries, which has 15 ships, 28 terminals, and 200 crew members. In addition to leading the operations of the inland ferries, which act as a continuation of the interior highways, he also oversaw the replacement of five provincial ferries.

He is confident that they have learned from the past mistakes of previous attempts to operate private passenger-only commuter ferries in BC. This includes the ill-fated decision by Harbour Lynx to depend on just one vessel, which folded in 2006 after just three years of business, when the vessel broke down from serious mechanical issues.

Just prior to the pandemic, Island Ferry Service’s plans to launch a high-speed, passenger-only commuter ferry service between downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo hit a snag due to investor issues.

Since then, the Nanaimo Port Authority has partnered with a different group, Vancouver Island Ferry Company, in partnership with a local First Nation, to launch a high-speed, passenger-only commuter ferry service to downtown Vancouver. They are aiming to commence their service, using two catamaran vessels, in Summer 2023.

Campbell envisions a network of passenger-only ferry services that complement BC Ferries’ vehicle ferries network, similar to how the Kitsap fast passenger-only ferry network works alongside Washington State Ferries.

As for the use of electric-battery ferries, Greenline is not alone. BC Ferries has plans to fully convert its new Island Class hybrid-diesel vessels into 100% electric-battery, and TransLink has long-term plans for the electrification of SeaBus. It could acquire its first electric-battery SeaBus vessel in 2030.

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