Belfast commuters get seafaring boost
Australian investment is about to give Belfast commuters the chance to abandon daily traffic jams and go to work by water.
A new ferry service around Belfast Lough is to be launched this summer, it was announced today.
The £4m investment in two state-of-the-art high speed catamarans will create an initial 35 jobs.
The craft will link major population centres in Bangor and Carrickfergus with central Belfast.
Australian Roy Bendall, project manager for the new Loughlink service said: "Belfast Lough is ideally suited for this sort of operation and we are proud to be on the brink of delivering to Northern Ireland its first 'airline on water'.
"The whole emphasis of Loughlink will be on comfort, speed and convenience."
Fares would be competitive, he said, and journey times from both Bangor and Carrickfergus into the centre of Belfast would be around 25 minutes - less than by road during the morning and evening rush.
He added: "We aim to entice commuters off the busy roads and on to the Lough for daily travel that allows them to sit back and enjoy the experience."
In addition to providing services for commuters, Loughlink will be targeting the leisure market with off-peak cruising and provide private hire and a service to and from The Odyssey - Belfast's new indoor 10,000 seat arena and entertainment centre.
Services are expected to begin in August. Each ferry, currently under construction in Queensland, can carry 120 passengers and travel at 27 knots.
