It’s certainly not unusual for you to find me over here partaking in a bit of transport talk. But whilst I’m usually waxing lyrical about London’s trusty network of Tubes, trains, buses, and bikes; today I’m pushing the boat out. Because I come bearing some ferry good news.
A ferry service that used to – well… ferry passengers between Newcastle and the Norwegian city of Bergen could soon be making a comeback. For over 140 years, passengers could hop aboard a boat in Newcastle and be transported tranquilly across the North Sea, directly to Bergen. The route was closed by its operator (DFDS) in 2008 due to rising oil costs. But Newcastle City Council have recently revealed that they would be exploring ways of bringing the route back into service.
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and is frequently hailed ‘the Gateway to the Fjords’, serving as a pretty spectacular starting point for exploring the UNESCO-listed (and utterly breathtaking) Norwegian Fjords. Newcastle and Bergan have a long-standing relationship that dates back to World War II, and the two cities have been formerly twinned for almost 60 years.
The potential resurrection of this much-loved route was suggested by Newcastle City Council Leader, Karen Kilgour. In January, Kilgour said: “We’d also love to see the return of the ferry, which stopped running in 2008. We know that lots of people in both cities have fond memories of travelling by sea to visit both Newcastle and Bergen.”
Whilst the journey by boat is significantly lengthier than the flight, the ferry is a more economically friendly, and – of course – great for those who aren’t quite so fond of flying. Attempts to revive the route have been made in the past, but to no avail as of yet.
Karen Kilgour said: “While at this point operators consider the route isn’t economically viable, we’ll continue to work with partners and our friends in Bergen to explore all ways of bringing it back.”