The long commute to work from Wyndham to Melbourne may soon become a thing of the past with businessman Paul Little resurrecting plans for a ferry service from Werribee South to Melbourne’s CBD.
Through his company The Little Group, the Essendon Football Club president – whose personal wealth is believed to exceed $800 million – plans to provide morning and evening services for commuters from Wyndham Harbour to the city, berthing at either Collins Landing or Docklands.
Mr Little said the Andrews government had been “very supportive” of the idea.
A three-month trial of the service will start next January.
Paul Little
Mr Little told Star Weekly the project would help Wyndham commuters working in the city by offering an alternative to driving.
“We believe a ferry service will compare favourably with trying to battle peak-hour traffic coming in via the West Gate Bridge. The ferries reach speeds of 25 knots and this means significantly shorter transit times for anyone travelling to the city.”
The service would use catamaran vessels manufactured in Australia with a capacity for 400 passengers. While the price-point for ferry trips has not yet been determined, it is expected to cost between $20 and $30 a day.
“We’re going to price it low, initially,” Mr Little said. “That way people can try the service before we set a sensible fare.”
Point Cook resident Sarah Jane is looking forward to using the service to escape West Gate Freeway gridlock.
“It takes over two-and-a-half hours to get to and from work daily,” she said. “The traffic is just shocking. I’ll definitely be using the ferry service.”
Sarah Jane
The 35-metre ferry planned for the service would be among the most environmentally-friendly vessels operating in Australia, Mr Little said, with lower fuel usage per passenger than small four-cylinder cars.
While the service would initially run from Wyndham Harbour, Mr Little said there were plans to later include a service from Portarlington.
The ferry service from Wyndham Harbour is not a new idea, with the former state government having planned to introduce a service this year. The plan was scrapped when the current Labor government was elected in November last year.
Mr Little said the project would be privately funded.
