BRL River Bus Service Outline Concept of Operations

Transcription

1 BRL River Bus Service Outline Concept of Operations OVERVIEW It is intended to provide a phased delivery of a river bus service linking Barking to the rest of the City of London from the initial introduction of an accommodation barge into Barking, through to full development of the Barking Riverside brownfield site. In the first phase, GTFM will work with MBNA Thames Clippers to develop a river bus schedule that meets the specific requirements of the Thames Tideway Tunnel (T3) operatives accommodated on the barge. This will include a public service, albeit a limited service at this initial stage. As the density of residential development increases on the site, the limited schedule will mature into a full river bus service, fully integrated into the Thames Clippers timetable (subject to contract). This will not only support the Mayor of London s aspiration as reflected in the Draft Transport Strategy 2017 (extract shown), but will accelerate it significantly. PROJECT PHASING Phase 1 Limited Schedule Starts with arrival of the accommodation barge; MBNA Thames Clippers will transport T3 workforce to/from sites up-river using a dedicated service; Embarkation/disembarkation points will be limited to those required by the workforce and schedule aligned to shift turnover timings; During the periods when the river bus is in transit to/from Barking without any T3 workers onboard (i.e. not in service for T3 workers), a public river bus service will be provided the Barking Service ; Given the current lack of clarity over T3 shift timings and, therefore, when the service will be required at Barking for T3 workers, the only public service that can be assured at this stage is an initial transit between Woolwich, North Greenwich (providing interchange with the existing MBNA Thames Clippers RB1 service, London Underground service on Jubilee line, DLR and the new Crossrail link - both less than 0.5 mile from the pier) and Barking; Once timings for delivery of the T3 workers service are resolved, there could be scope for enhancing the public service which will be reviewed based on data collection in the first six months of operation; this would still however remain a select number of sailings in between the T3 service at this initial stage. Phase 2 Full Timetable A full river bus service open to the public, supporting the new residential development;

2 The timetable will be founded on an agreed viability threshold and development density trigger, to be agreed between MBNA Thames Clippers and BRL (subject to contract). MBNA Thames Clippers will initially require from the land owner a guaranteed minimum number of passengers per year (for up to 3-5 years). This would be at an agreed average fare yield per passenger boarding at Barking Pier to justify further investment in vessels to service the site and indeed to commit / deliver a regular river bus service. This is not a subsidy but a risk share for a fixed period that fosters a partnership approach between the river bus operator and the land owner, allowing the service to be promoted jointly and therefore become established. Should the guarantee be met, no fees are payable by the land owner in any given year. The Transport Assessment for Barking Riverside will assist with identifying the trigger point of development density from which to commence the river bus service. Key destination piers could include Thamesmead (4 minutes journey time) Woolwich (7 mins), North Greenwich (15 mins) and Canary Wharf East (17 minutes) providing interchange with existing river bus services and London Underground services into central London; As London construction projects will continue to require workforce transportation, dedicated transits will continue alongside the regular timetabled service, integrating both where feasible. CONSIDERATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS At present, there are many uncertainties that complicate commitment to a firm Phase 1 schedule. The most fundamental is that the T3 Joint Venture companies have not yet been selected, hence it is impossible to determine the sites to which tunnelling operatives will require transportation (which could be any or all of Wandsworth, Battersea or Blackfriars) nor the shift pattern to be employed. As the contractual situation unfolds and demand clarifies, the schedule for the phase 1 public service will be refined and published. A formal review will be programmed for 6 months after T3 service initiation, using the empirical data that will then be available. Opportunities to extend the public service will be explored within the parameters of the T3 operational requirement. The underlying service principle is that when a river bus is in transit to or from Barking with no T3 workers embarked, then it could be available for public use subject to passenger demand, calling at N.Greenwich/Woolwich this will be the case from the outset. MATERIAL PREPARATIONS Early scheduling will be based on river buses similar to MBNA Thames Clippers vessel Moon Clipper, capable of handling 138 passengers:

3 Embarkation/disembarkation at Barking will be from a pontoon moored outboard of the accommodation barge as indicated in Diagram 1; this also shows the access routes to/from the passenger pontoon. The green line marks the route that barge residents will follow; The red line marks the route that public passengers will take to/from the jetty. This passes around the outside of the barge, on a walkway similar to that indicated in Diagram 2; The boarding system will be the same as the current MBNA Thames Clipper network with all customers accessing from the pontoon via a ramp and pen system. gway "Self-Levelling mmodation" Ladder A Floatel Yokohama Fenders Passenger Pontoon 30 x 10 x 2.4m Diagram 1 Ferry passenger access routes Diagram 2 Walkway that non-resident passengers will use PHASE 1 SCHEDULING The MBNA Thames Clippers RB1 timetabled service already operates to Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) and ideally the Barking Service would be an extension of this route. This will not be achievable at this stage as the RB1 timetable is unlikely to align with the arrival/departure times of the Barking Service.

4 Therefore, the Barking Service would provide a direct link between Barking, Woolwich and North Greenwich. Passengers travelling from/to further afield would either connect with the DLR London Underground or Crossrail stations (a short walk from the jetty) or connect with a pre-established RB1 service. Diagrams 3 and 4 provide an indication of how the river bus service might operate for a 2-shift system (when workers spend 12 hours on site, with the subsequent 12 hours for travel, recreation and rest), assuming changeover times at 0700 and Timings are for illustration purposes only given the uncertainties currently surrounding the T3 companies needs for example they might operate a 3-shift system with workers on site for 8 hours, with the remaining 16 hours for transit, recreation and rest. A 2-shift system would deliver one public sailing from Barking during the morning commute and one back to Barking during the evening commute. The schedule includes time for the river bus to remain alongside the T3 site pontoon/jetty for at least 30 minutes at each shift changeover allowing safe and orderly embarkation/disembarkation of a full passenger complement and the time required for the workers to walk to the tunnelling site, conduct a handover and for their reliefs to return, thence embark on the river bus for transit to Barking: Leg 1. Barking Service (indicated in green) - open to the public. At the start of the day s operations the river bus will be empty and provide an option for passengers wishing to transit from N.Greenwich or Woolwich to Barking riverside; Legs 2 and 3. For the exclusive use of T3 workers; Leg 4. Barking Service - open to the public. Having disembarked the off-coming shift to the floatel, the river bus will transit from Barking to Woolwich/N.Greenwich during the typical commuter period into London. Onward tasking for this river bus will be entirely dependent on the timings that T3 companies eventually require for their service.

5 Diagram 3 Illustrative Schedule for a morning service Leg 5. Barking Service - open to the public N.Greenwich/Woolwich to Barking; scope to integrate this with a currently timetabled service will be explored but, again, this is dependent on the T3 demand; Legs 6 and 7. For the exclusive use of T3 workers; Leg 8. Barking Service - open to the public. Having disembarked the off-coming shift to the floatel, the river bus will transit to N.Greenwich/Woolwich thence moor overnight at Trinity Buoy Wharf. CAPACITY MANAGEMENT The limited nature of the Barking Service lends itself to treatment as a season ticket to ensure capacity can be managed.