1. Ferry Transit Capacity

2. Presentation Overview
Learning objectives
Ferry facilities and service
Vessels
Ferry terminals
Operations
Capacity considerations

3. Learning Objectives
Gain an understanding of the wide variety of vessels, service types, and conditions which influence ferry service
Unlike other transit services, ferry services tend to vary widely and have little in common with each other
Presentation of vessel access considerations and typical terminal configurations
Become familiar with factors affecting ferry capacity:
Berth capacity
Dock capacity
Vessel passenger capacity

4. Changes from the 2nd Edition
Re-organization of chapter for clarity
Updated content
Removal of material unnecessarily specific to certain systems
Generalization of other content to increase applicability
Discussion of maritime security (MARSEC)
Purpose is to promote a framework for understanding ferry operations and capacity instead of specific approaches for certain system types
New spreadsheet tool for helping evaluate ferry transit capacity

5. Ferry Facilities and Service
Colman Dock, Seattle

6. Ferry Facilities and Service
Ferries provide a significant transit element in many cities:
New York
San Francisco
Seattle
Vancouver, BC
Boston
Also in smaller communities:
Nantucket – Martha’s Vineyard
Victoria, BC
Boston

7. Many Systems Go Unnoticed
Washington has:
Eight publicly owned ferry operators with 16 routes
At least three privately operated systems
Several tourist systems (excursions)
Ferry on Puget Sound, WA

8. Distinct Types of Ferry Service
Mixed auto–passenger
Passenger-only
Water taxies
Water taxi, Baltimore

9. Route Types Crossing bodies of water Island service
Parallel to shoreline
Two-stop routes
Multi-stop routes
Ferry services crossing San Francisco Bay

10. Factors Unique to Ferry Service
Tidal influence (ranges from minimal to 40 feet)
Water body and shoreline
Harbor congestion
Weather (fog, wind)
Vessels are usually one or few of a kind
Berthing requirements vary by vessel class
Length, width, freeboard, door locations
Island service requirements
Emergency, commercial, reservations, other
Harbor ferries, Copenhagen

11. Factors Unique to Ferry Service (cont’d.)
Most trips are multimodal
System lack of spare vessels
Operation by non-traditional transit providers
Regulatory environment (US Coast Guard)
Certificates of Inspection – Capacity
Crew size (dispatch problems)
Security requirements
MARSEC Levels 1, 2, and 3

12. Ferry Vessels
Staten Island Ferry, New York 12

13. Factors Determining Vessel Type
Type of service
Auto–passenger, passenger-only, water taxi
Required speed
Conventional or high-speed
Environmental factors
Seas, reliability
Operational costs
Speed-dependent

14. Vessel Types Monohull Catamarans
Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH)
Hydrofoils
Surface effect ships
Hovercraft
Catamaran, Sydney, Australia

15. Ferry Terminals
Ferry Building dock, San Francisco 15

16. Factors Influencing Ferry Terminal Siting
Difficult shoreline issues – residential, downtown, industrial
Public access – views – aesthetics
Shoreline conditions
Water depth
Currents
Fetch & breakwaters
Marine traffic
Marine life
Ferry terminal, Sidney, British Columbia

17. Terminal Elements Street access Terminal building
Lobby (open queuing area)
Ticketing (fare sales)
Control (collection, passenger count, security)
Secure holding (security, pre-load)
Boarding control
SeaBus Terminal, North Vancouver, British Columbia

18. Terminal Elements (cont’d.)
Vessel access
Pier (deep water)
Berth (mooring)
Ramp (elevation)
Gangway (access)
Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia 18

19. Example Terminal Configuration
Terminal Building
Street Access
Boarding Control
Secure Holding
Lobby
Ticketing
Ticket Collection
Security
Passenger Count
Gangways
Berths
Ramp
Pier

20. Issues with Multiple Routes at a Single Terminal
Passenger control and separation by route
Simultaneous vessel landings can occur
Embarkation and disembarkation conflicts
Terminal Building
Street Access
Boarding Control
Secure Holding
Lobby
Ticketing
Ticket Collection
Security
Passenger Count
Gangways
Berths
Ramp
Pier

21. More Common Terminal Arrangement #1
Street Access
Terminal Building
Boarding Control
Secure Holding
Lobby
Ticketing
Ticket Collection
Security
Passenger Count
Gangways
Berths
Ramps
Piers

22. More Common Terminal Arrangement #2
Street Access
Terminal Building
Boarding Control
Secure Holding
Lobby
Ticketing
Ticket Collection
Security
Passenger Count
Gangways
Ramp
Pier

23. Operations
Active Pass, British Columbia 23

24. Routes and Crossing Capacity
Multi-stop routes:
Passengers may or may not disembark at a stop
Passenger count is difficult to maintain
First-in first-out pre-staging passengers is difficult
Crossing between two points:
All passengers disembark at each stop
Multi-stop ferry service, Brisbane, Australia

25. Capacity
Island ferry service, Fur, Denmark 25

26. Berth Capacity Berth capacity: Arrival service time
Vessel clearance time
Maneuver
Tie up
Gangway placement
Disembarking time
Passenger volume – bottleneck location
Passenger walking times (from vessel to holding area access)

27. Berth Capacity (cont’d.)
Berth capacity: Departure service time
Embarking time
Passenger volume – bottleneck location
Passenger walking times (from holding area to vessel)
Vessel clearance time
Gangway removal
Tie up
Maneuver
Total of departure service time, arrival service time, and an operating margin to account for delays gives the minimum service time per vessel
These times will be different for different vessels using a berth, and will vary by time of day with passenger volumes
These service times determine the maximum number of vessels that can be scheduled to use a berth during an hour

28. Notes on Berth Capacity (cont’d.)
Simultaneous disembarking and embarking
May not be viable due to security requirements
Difficult at best—no control in a hazardous area
Passenger load control is difficult
Automobile embarking and disembarking
Procedure included in TCQSM
Not addressed further in this presentation
Schedule float/operating margin
Additional time for consideration of uncertain or extreme conditions

29. Dock and Route Capacity
Dock capacity
Sum of individual berth capacities
Number of vessels serving berth in an hour
Passenger capacity of vessel(s) serving berth (not all vessels using a given berth may be identical)
Vessel passenger capacities will vary by amount of crew provided
Route/crossing capacity
Vessel frequency
Vessel passenger capacity
Peak hour factor (PHF)
Accounts for fluctuations in demand during the analysis hour
Not all offered capacity will be able to be used, except under a reservation system, if pass-ups are not to occur
Capacity = (frequency) ×(weighted average vessel passenger capacity) ×(PHF) 29

30. More Information
TCRP Report 165: TCQSM—Chapter 9, Ferry Transit Capacity
Ferry capacity spreadsheet included on the CD-ROM
TCRP Report 152: Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services
TCRP Synthesis 102: Integrating Passenger Ferry Service with Mass Transit
All of these documents are available as:
Free individual printed copies and PDF downloads through the TCRP Dissemination Program
Free PDF downloads directly from TCRP (Publications section) or simply do an Internet search for the report number (e.g., TCRP Report 165)
Individual or multiple copy purchases from the TRB Bookstore

31. Acknowledgments and Permissions
Presentation authors
Bill Carter and Ryan Avery (Parsons Brinkerhoff, Quade & Douglass)
Photo credits
Colman Dock: Bill Carter
All others: Paul Ryus
This presentation was developed through TCRP Project A-15C
Research team: Kittelson & Associates; Parsons Brinkerhoff, Quade & Douglass; KFH Group; Texas A&M Transportation Institute; and Arup
This presentation and its contents may be freely distributed and used, with appropriate credit to the presentation authors and photographers, and the Transit Cooperative Research Program