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List of train ferries

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of train ferries that are designed to carry railway vehicles. These include purpose-built train ferries that can be quickly loaded and unloaded by roll-on/roll-off, and car floats or rail barges which are barges that carry trains.

Current train ferries

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Azerbaijan

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Bolivia

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  • Train ferry on Lake Titicaca from Peru1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) gauges at each end.[3][4]

Bulgaria

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  • The Varna-Odesa (Ukraine) train ferry line served by 4 boats (13,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT) each, carrying 108 loaded railroad cars) opened in 1978, bypasses a break of gauge. Later, the service was extended to include lines to Poti and Batumi, Georgia. Boats can carry trucks and passengers as well.

Canada

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China

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  • Guangdong–Hainan Railway: Part of this railway is the Yuehai (粤海, i.e. Guangdong-Hainan) Ferry which crosses the Qiongzhou Strait, between Zhanjiang, Guangdong and Haikou, Hainan. The line has operated since January 2003, carrying both freight and passenger trains, enabling direct train service between the mainland and the cities of Haikou and Sanya on Hainan Island.[8] As of the late 2010, two ferry boats were in operation; the third boat, Yuehai No. 3, was launched in Tianjin in September 2010, and was going to be delivered to the ferry company in December 2010.[9]
  • Bohai Train Ferry: Yantai in Shandong Province to Dalian in Liaoning Province. This short-cut line, operated by Sinorail, has been running since November 2006. As of 2020, it only carries freight trains, but passengers can also be on board the ship.[10]

Germany

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Georgia

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Iran

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A new train ferry link-span terminal is under construction at Amirabad Special Economic Zone, Mazandaran Province, Iran.

Italy

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Train and car ferry between Calabria and Sicily

Both Sicily and Sardinia services are operated by Bluvia that is a subsidiary company of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. At present the link between Mainland and Sicily has a regular and frequent activity, while the link between Mainland and Sardinia is less frequent and operated basically day by day on the basis of the actual traffic demand.

Kenya

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A new and a refurbished train ferry between Kisumu, Kenya and Port Bell, Uganda across Lake Victoria.[12]

Mexico

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MV Bali Sea along the CG Railway loads up with Ferrosur trains in Coatzacoalcos

New Zealand

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Peru

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  • Link with Bolivia across Lake Titicaca. The car float Manco Capac has dual gauge tracks for both Peruvian 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge and Bolivian 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) meter gauge. There are small stretches of dual gauge trackage at Puno in Peru and Guaqui in Bolivia. Car loading and unloading are done at docks. The British-built steamship Ollanta is no longer maintained, but PeruRail, in charge of the vessel, is trying to develop a tourist project soon.[14]

Russia

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Sweden

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Tanzania

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Turkey

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Ferry Van approaching Van harbour.
  • Lake Van – Tatvan — Van. The Istanbul — Tehran "Trans-Asya-Ekspresi" operates and the Damascus–Tehran passenger train operated from each terminus to the ferry ports. Only the luggage van takes the ferry due to capacity restrictions, the passengers have to change at both ends. The Lake Van ferry is part of the planned Trans-Asian Railway, Istanbul — Singapore. A scheduled freight train runs from Istanbul to Kazakhstan. The train ferry was established to avoid an expensive railroad line along the mountainous southern shore and may be replaced when traffic increases sufficiently; there are reports of financing discussions between the governments of Turkey and Iran. The ferry route is 96 km (60 mi) long while a rail alternative on the north side would be 250 km (160 mi) long in mountainous terrain. There are four ferries each of 16 coach capacity capable of making three trips per day.[18] Other sources describe the ferries' capacity as 450 tons (9 to 14 railcars).[19]
  • Tekirdağ-Derince Ferry: The ferry service had started at the end of 2013 connecting Europe to Asia by rail.[16] The service is given by TCDD where a maritime company is the subcontractor. The ferry is MF Erdeniz, which used to carry wagons between Eregli and Zonguldak ports. She is now carrying wagons between Tekirdağ Port and Derince Port, İzmit. Ferry has 5 lines which are in total, 800 meters (2,600 ft) long. It can travel between Tekirdağ and Derince in 8 hours.
  • Tekirdağ-Bandırma Ferry: TCDD is constructing another ferry ramp at Bandırma Port and is planning to give ferry service between Tekirdağ and Bandırma ports. This service will connect Agean Region of Turkey to Europe by rail.

Turkmenistan

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Uganda

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  • A train ferry on Lake Victoria links the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) gauge network of the Uganda Railway at Port Bell with the 1,000 mm gauge network of Tanzania at Mwanza. In June 2008, the Ugandan budget allocated $US8.5m for an additional train ferry for Lake Victoria to replace one that sank after a collision.[20][12]

Ukraine

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United States

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Former train ferries

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Argentina

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Nine train ferries were used between 1907 and 1990 to cross the Paraná river and join the Buenos Aires province (the main state in Argentina) and the Entre Rios province (the entrance to the Mesopotamian region), until new bridges were built over the rivers they crossed. They were Lucía Carbó (1907), María Parera (1908), Mercedes Lacroze (1909) (three ferries that operated between the ports of Zárate and Ibicuy (Entre Rios), crossing the Paraná River at the northwest of the Buenos Aires province). Then were added Roque Saenz Peña (1911) and Ezequiel Ramos Mejía (1913), paddle train ferries, at Posadas (crossing the Paraná River in the southwest of the Misiones province, at the north of the country, in the frontier with Paraguay).

Three other train ferries were added later: Dolores de Urquiza (1926), Delfina Mitre (1928) and Carmen Avellaneda (1929) to cover the service in the Zárate-Ibicuy crossing. María Parera had a collision with Lucía Carbó at km. 145 of the Paraná River, and it sank in less than 15 minutes on June 30, 1926. Two of the most modern still serve as floating piers in the Zárate region, and one of the first group was sunk during a storm at the Buenos Aires port in the 1980s. The two northern paddle ferries still remain at Posadas, and one of them holds a model railway museum inside. All the eight old ferries were built by the A & J Inglis, in Pointhouse, Glasgow, Scotland, for the Entre Rios Railways Co. in Argentina. The ninth ferry, Tabare, was built in Argentina by Astarsa in 1966 at Astillero Río Santiago Río Santiago Shipyard near to La Plata city. It was the largest train ferry that operated in Argentina, with a deck more than 100 meters long. Tabaré is still floating, but not operating, at the old south docks of Buenos Aires port, near the Puerto Madero zone.

Australia

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Bangladesh

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Belgium

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Canada

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Car floats
Woodfibre, British Columbia
Train ferries

China

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Cuba

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Note: all auto and rail ferry services have been suspended between the United States and Cuba due to the ongoing United States embargo against Cuba.

Denmark

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Finland

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  • StockholmNaantali (1967–75), 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge on board, break of gauge to 1,524 mm (5 ft) in Naantali, freight only
  • TravemündeHanko (1975–98), 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) on board, break of gauge to 1,524 mm (5 ft) in Hanko, freight only
  • TravemündeTurku (1998–2007), 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) on board, break of gauge to 1,524 mm (5 ft) in Turku, freight only
  • Hargshamn (Sweden) – Uusikaupunki (1989–96), 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) on board, break of gauge to 1,524 mm (5 ft) in Uusikaupunki, freight only
  • Turku – Stockholm (-2012, see SeaRail), 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) on board, break of gauge to 1,524 mm (5 ft) in Turku, freight only

France

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Germany

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Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry

Hungary

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  • Between current Bogojevo, Serbia and Dalj, Croatia, over the Danube river 1871–1911.

Iraq

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Train ferries were at one time[when?] used to cross the Euphrates River at Baghdad.

Italy

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Japan

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In Japanese, a train ferry is called "鉄道連絡船 tetsudō renrakusen", which means literally "railway connection ship". Such ships may or may not be able to carry railcars. A ferry service that is part of a railway schedule and its fare system is called "tetsudō renrakusen".

Japan Railways linked the four main Japanese islands with train ferries before these were replaced by bridges and tunnels.

There were three ferry services that carried trains. Through operations of passenger trains using train ferries were conducted between December 1948 and 11 May 1955. The passenger services was canceled after the disasters of Toya Maru (26 September 1954, killed 1,153) and the Shiun Maru (11 May 1955, killed 168) occurred, after which the Japanese National Railways (JNR) considered it dangerous to allow passengers to stay on trains aboard ship. These three lines have been replaced by tunnels and bridges.

  • Seikan Ferry
The Seikan ferry connected Aomori Station and Hakodate Station crossing the Tsugaru Strait connecting Honshū and Hokkaidō. The first full-scale train ferry, Shōhō Maru, entered service in April, 1924. On 13 March 1988, the Seikan Tunnel was opened and the ferry ceased operation. The tunnel and the ferry line was operated simultaneously only on that day.
  • Ukō Ferry
The Ukō ferry connected Uno station and Takamatsu station crossing the Seto Inland Sea connecting Honshū and Shikoku. The ferry service started carrying railcars on 10 October 1921. On 9 April 1988, the Great Seto Bridge was opened and the last train ferry operated on the previous day.
  • Kammon Ferry
The Kammon ferry connected Shimonoseki Station and Mojikō Station crossing the Kanmon Strait connecting Honshū and Kyūshū. This was the first train ferry service in Japan starting operation on 1 October 1911. The train ferries used piers at Komorie station. After the completion of the Kanmon Tunnel on 1 July 1942, the service was discontinued and the ferries were transferred to the Ukō Ferry operation.

Lithuania

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  • Klaipėda, 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+2732 in) – Mukran, Germany, 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) (1986-2016). Freight only. Bogie exchanges take place in Mukran. Service abandoned in 2016.

The Netherlands

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From 1886 to 1936, train ferries sailed between Stavoren and Enkhuizen across the Zuiderzee. After completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, goods transportation went from train to road.

From 1914 to 1983 a ferry carried freight carriages from the Rietlanden shunting area to the Amsterdam-Noord railway network, which was not connected over land to the rest of the Dutch railway network.

Nigeria

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  • A temporary ferry was used at the crossing of the Niger River due to delays finding foundations for a bridge.[37]
  • similarly at Makurdi on the River Benue, replaced by a road-rail bridge in 1932.

Norway

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The Tinnsjø railway ferry, Norway

Paraguay

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Encarnacion — Posadas[38]

Russia & former USSR

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Sweden

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  • Gothenburg – Frederikshavn, Denmark (1987–2015)
  • Helsingør, Denmark – Helsingborg (1892–2000)
  • Copenhagen, Denmark – Helsingborg (1986–2000), freight only
  • Copenhagen, Denmark – Malmö (1895–1986)
  • Trelleborg – Gdansk, Poland (1946)
  • Trelleborg – Gdynia, Poland (1947–1950)
  • Trelleborg – Sassnitz (Mukran port), Germany, (1998–2020) operated by Stena Line
  • Trelleborg – Świnoujście, Poland (1948–1953), was supposed to replace the Ystad – Świnoujście service in 2010 again, but that didn't happen
  • Trelleborg – Warnemünde, the GDR (1948–1953)
  • YstadŚwinoujście, Poland (1974-2018), freight only
  • BergkvaraMörbylånga, normal gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) between 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) in Bergkvara and 891 mm in Mörbylånga (1953–1955)
  • KalmarFärjestaden, narrow gauge 891 mm (1957–1962)
  • StockholmNaantali, Finland (1967–1975), normal gauge on board, break-of-gauge in Naantali, freight only
  • Malmö – Travemünde, Germany (from the mid-1980s until a few years after 2000)
  • Hargshamn (Sweden) – Uusikaupunki (1989–96), normal gauge on board, break-of-gauge in Uusikaupunki, freight only
  • Stockholm – Turku, Finland (SeaRail, ended 2012, normal gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in))
Never opened
  • Trelleborg – Travemünde, the ferries were built (Nils Dacke and Robin Hood 1988–89) but the service never opened, as the "Iron Curtain" fell. The ferries were supposed to offer an alternative, which was not going through East Germany, to the ferries from Rostock and Sassnitz, which were in East Germany. With reunification that aim became obsolete.

United Kingdom

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United States

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Southern Pacific Railroad in New Orleans


Proposed train ferries

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The Trans-Asian Railway has proposed a few train ferries:

References

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  1. ^ "Azerbaijan to Purchase New Train ferry in May". Trend News Agency (requires subscription). 2008-05-08. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  2. ^ "Ferry complex". NC Aktau Sea Commercial Port JSC. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Strategic Action Plan for UIC Latin America Region" (PDF). International Union of Railways. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ The statesman's year-book : statistical and historical annual of the states of the world for the year 1984-1985 (121st ed.). London: Macmillan. 1984. p. 221. ISBN 9780230271135. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  5. ^ Seaspan Ferries
  6. ^ a b Greg George
  7. ^ Trains February 2009 p9
  8. ^ "Train-ferry project making solid progress" Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. By Xie Chuanjiao (China Daily). Updated: 2006-06-06
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