The Lane Cove ferry has been operated by SeaLink since 2006 under the Captain Cook Cruises brand providing public transport access to the Lane Cove River for Lane Cove residents and school children.
In December 2021, it looked like the Lane Cove ferry would be scrapped.
Fast forward to 2023, and a new Lane Cove Ferry timetable has been released (effective 3 April 2023). An extra morning service has been added to the timeline, and Captain Cook Cruises has promised further integration with the Opal payment mechanism to improve the overall passenger experience.
The Lane Cove ferry runs services Monday to Friday during peak commute times; the service connects passengers along Lane Cove River to Balmain, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Milsons Point and Kirribilli Wharf. It stops at the Longueville Wharf, the Northwood Wharf and Greenwich Wharves.
Background to the Fight for the Lane Cove Ferry
In December 2020, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) released the following statement:
“Transport for NSW has reviewed community and stakeholder feedback and can confirm the Captain Cook Lane Cove Ferry Service will continue in 2021 and will not cease service on 18 December 2020 as previously announced.”
In late December 2020, after a public campaign to reconsider this decision, Transport NSW released the following statement:
“Transport for NSW has reviewed community and stakeholder feedback and can confirm the Captain Cook Lane Cove Ferry Service will continue in 2021 and will not cease service on 18 December 2020 as previously announced.
The ferry service will continue to operate during morning and evening peak periods throughout December and January before school returns for term 1, 2021.
The proposed alternative school bus services due to commence from term 1 of 2021 will not be introduced in 2021, and the ferry service will continue.
The relevant schools will be informed.
Transport for NSW will explore options for long-term ferry operations of the Lane Cove service in 2021.”
Captain Cook Cruises was permitted to continue to operate the Lane Cove Ferry while they negotiated a contract extension with TfNSW (read more here).
In January 2023, Captain Cook was awarded a 15-year contract extension by TfNSW to run the Lane Cove ferry service contract.
In January 2023, Nick Lester, General Manager for SeaLink Sydney Harbour, said, “SeaLink is pleased to continue working with Transport for New South Wales to provide this important transport service for North Sydney commuters.”
“We pride ourselves on providing a brilliant customer experience to our guests onboard all our vessels, and the additional morning departure added to the timetable and the further integration with the State Government’s Opal pay system will ensure travelling with us will be an even smoother and more convenient experience,” Mr Lester said.
The new contract with the New South Wales State Government also provides an option to move to low-emissions technology during the term, which may include the construction of an electric-powered ferry capable of operating the service in battery mode.
Taking the ferry into the CBD is a great experience, and in 2018, ITC wrote an article asking locals if they wanted a weekend ferry service. Captain Cook Cruises can only operate the service between Monday and Friday – read our article here.
Lane Cove Ferry Information Timetables
When ITC published our first article about the fight to save the Lane Cove Ferry, some readers commented that they did not know the Ferry Service existed. For those of you who don’t know much about the Lane Cove Ferry Service, we have set out below details on how and where it operates.
Captain Cook Cruises ferry operates from Lane Cove into the city on weekdays in the morning and from the city to Lane Cove in the afternoons. The ferry departs from several Lane Cove Council area wharves, including:
– Longueville Wharf
– Northwood Wharf
– Greenwich – Bay Street Wharf
– Greenwich Point Wharf
To find out more about the Lane Cove ferry and where it leaves from in the Lane Cove Council Area and the timetable, click on the following links:
Download the new timetable from Monday, 3 April 2023
Register now for Live SMS updates
Lane Cove River Ferry Prices and Bookings
If you have any queries or questions, you can email Captain Cook Cruises via the Lane Cove Ferry feedback email.
The Ferry is a delightful way to travel to the city. On Tuesday, 8 December 2020, ITC did a live feed from the Longueville Wharf to Circular Quay. While en route, we spoke to a few passengers and asked why they used the Ferry Service instead of the bus. Watch our live feed here.
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