Seven Australian-designed and Australian-made vessels will run between Parramatta and Circular Quay.
The first Australian built Parramatta river class ferry has arrived in Sydney after passing the ultimate sea test, crossing the Bass Strait.
Following the arrival, the Frances Bodkin vessel will now be thoroughly cleaned and conduct further sea trials to ensure it is ready for use.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said, “This state-of-the-art Australian-designed, Australian-made vessel is just weeks away from passenger service and we couldn’t be more excited for people to be able to jump onboard.”
This is the first of seven new Northern Beaches-designed vessels being built by Hobart-based ship builder Richardson Devine Marine.
The seven new vessels will replace seven old RiverCat vessels which will be retired after reaching the end of their lifespan after 30 years of service.
Transport minister Jo Haylen said, “This state-of-the-art fleet is Australian-designed and Australian-made and we’re looking forward to seeing them come into service this year.”
The New South Wales government said each vessel in the new Parramatta River Class fleet will have a 200-person capacity, while using 40% less diesel and are also future proofed for conversion to electric propulsion when the technology and network infrastructure become available.
Transport for NSW project director Tony New said, “Having the ship builder, designer, operator and Transport for NSW work so collaboratively has ensured the project so far has been smooth sailing and passengers will benefit from that very soon.
A team of 60 people is working to build the remaining six vessels which are expected to enter passenger service over the course of the next 18 months.
The vessels will predominantly run in calm river conditions on the F3 route, between Parramatta and Circular Quay.