After lengthy delays, Wightlink has finally welcomed passengers to its new Fastcat terminal in Portsmouth having invested more than £1.5million in the mainland port.
The major improvement project was originally expected to be completed by early April, but it was confirmed in March that it would continue for at least another 3 months – double the original timeframe given. Now, 4 months after that April end date, the terminal is in operational use – although the final finishing touches are still being made.
Works began in November last year when a temporary waiting area was erected at the end of the train platform. Then, at the start of January, the next phase of the work began. This meant that wheelchairs, pushchairs and mobility scooters were unable to use the Portsmouth Harbour-Ryde Pier Head service.
The scheme has included completely renewing the roof of the passenger waiting area as the original structure was beyond repair. The terminal has been in use for more than 150 years.
Concerns have been raised by Islanders in recent months that the Fastcat service might cease to exist in the future with the timetable cut, but the company’s investment in the future of the Portsmouth terminal suggests there are no plans to scrap the passenger link between Ryde and Portsmouth any time soon.
Few care about decor, it is cheap prices and reliable service which matters to most.
Always boring, cold and dull, so most only look at a phone screen anyway.
Pity about the cheap plastic plants used – Real would have been far nicer!
Now all we need are the Fastcats to run properly and a later service!!!!!!!! And we all might feel like Wingtlink are not still shafting their customer base… (so much) Or has this been spivved up so you don’t moan so much if you have to wait after seeing “Fastcat Cancelled”!?
Not enough seat’s though?
if you are going to run a third world timetable you need more seat’s.
Agree, that route was best in the BR days, old slower ferries, sailed on the dot in all weathers
Perhaps they might like to run a proper timetable now with half hourly boats at peak times.
That run beyond 8:20pm
It’s a service, tbh I couldn’t give two hoots how nice the waiting room is, make the crossing good value and reliable, that’s all I ask, a nice floor and a Costa machine does not lubricate me enough for a shafting.
Great! Now they just need some boats and some staff that work!
Must have ran out of money to buy more seats!
Very nice.
Now what about providing a service that is actually worth using?
Looks the same to me.
I thought the same! Heaven knows what took all that time
Certainly still looks boring, seats are too close together and not enough seating room, no partially private seating areas, who wants to sit pressed against a moaning, smelly, stranger for an hour or more when they boats do not run on time, or one is cancelled. No tables.. no comfy seats… Amazed they di not just set it up like the interior of a boat !!
Build a TUNNEL instead .
I totally agree. Utilitarian. Looks like hard, uncomfortable seating, like you say, when you’re tired in the evening and they’ve cancelled a sailing you want somewhere comfortable to wait. Look at all the space they’ve provided to corral us but a single line of seating, no social distancing, never mind Covid-19,I just don’t like to share my personal space. Wightlink have just proved, once more, they don’t give a hoot about their customers!
Taken a year to do, treating customers like cattle, and it looks identical as before except for removing the wall and seats. And now it’s easy for the selfish with no self control to cut in line as the wall has been removed. When it’s very busy people will hope over the seats. Well done wightlink.
Wow much better than it was – shame there is no refreshment shop or ticket office visible.
What a clinically soulless room. Very unappealing. Just like the company and its service.
For what they charge for such an appalling service the whole waiting area should be gold plated
They shut for a year and denied wheelchair users access for this?
Still pretty sure it was illegal denying wheelchair users access, accommodations should have been made. There was also no public transport provision from Fishborne terminal during this time, so wheelchair users were left with travel to a location with no bus stop, no train.