Plans for London's first fully electric ferry service submitted

London's first fully electric ferry service could be on its way, if new plans are approved. 

Thames Clippers has won funding from the government for the new ferry, which would travel between Canary Wharf and Rotherhithe in east London.

The zero-emissions ferry would run on renewable energy and replace the company's current diesel boat.

If approved by Southwark and Tower Hamlets' councils, the service is expected to operate from February 2025.

As part of the project, Rotherhithe's existing pier would be demolished and replaced with a new pier including a new pontoon.

Separate plans to make minor alterations to Canary Wharf Pier to accommodate the service have also been submitted to Tower Hamlets Council. 

The project would boost the capacity of each ferry from 100 passengers and five bikes to 150 passengers and 100 bikes on each crossing, with the service expected to continue running at roughly 15-minute intervals between 06:00 and 23:30.

There are currently 158 ferry crossings between Canary Wharf and Rotherhithe every day, with 79 departing from each respective pier. The journey between the two locations takes three minutes on average.

It follows previous plans by Transport for London (TfL) to build a footbridge connecting Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, which were scrapped in 2019 over costs. 

This is not the first time an electric ferry has been on the Thames. Sunberry Ferry, which operates just down the river at Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey, started using an electric motor in 2021.

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