Australian-made ferries to take to Parramatta River

Seven new Australian-made ferries will take to Parramatta River with the construction tender awarded to Richardson Devine Marine Contructions in Hobart.

The new Parramatta Class ferries have been designed by Incat Crowthers, leading naval architects based in the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Transport for NSW has worked closely with the naval architects, operator Transdev and union representatives, enhancing the design to ensure faults found in the first ten River Class ferries are not repeated.

While aesthetically similar, the new Parramatta Class vessels won’t include upper deck seating that forces passengers to move downstairs when passing under Camellia Railway Bridge and Gasworks Bridge.

The new ferries will also be future-proofed, allowing for future conversion to electric propulsion as battery, charging and engine technologies improve.

The engines of the Parramatta Class ferries will be replaced or rebuilt at regular intervals during their 25-30 year working life, providing a number of opportunities to make these upgrades.

The seven new vessels will replace seven Australian-built RiverCat vessels, which are ready to retire after 30 years of faithful service.

The RiverCat vessels were the first modern passenger ferries to chart a course all the way to Parramatta wharf in 1993.

Construction of the new ferries will begin in July.