'Band-aid solution fell off': Premier apologises for 'intolerable' delays as Stockton ferry breaks again

Premier Chris Minns has apologised to Stockton residents for the plagued service of the ferry that connects the suburb to the city, as it broke down again on Saturday morning leaving commuters facing a long bus ride home.

As buses replaced the ferry service for the second time this month, on Saturday morning, the Premier said the unreliability of what was an "essential public service" had become "intolerable" and told the private operator to send the vessels to Sydney for urgent repairs.

"We urgently need a fix here," he said, echoing the Transport Minister this week, adding, "Just bring the ferry to Sydney and get it fixed as soon as possible."

"I genuinely apologise for the delay. It has gone on far too long."

Residents have fumed that their arterial connection to the city, and essential services on the other side of the harbour, has become so unreliable that many dread planning a trip for fear of either getting stuck or waylaid by hours.

Half-hourly busses replaced the ferry at the weekend from around 11.15am, as Newcastle Transport said "unplanned maintenance" had taken what is currently the city's only working ferry offline "until further notice".

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and are working hard to restore full ferry services as quickly as possible," the department posted online.

It was understood the most recent fault was similar to that of the last outage earlier this month, that required the intervention of a specialist team from out of state to assess and repair.

The ferry was last taken offline for six days, returning on December 4 this month. The operator, Keolis Downer, said at the time that the nearly 40-year-old vessel's performance was being closely monitored with additional regular checks.

The weekend's disruption is the latest in a string of unplanned breakdowns since September that have raised pressing concerns about the viability, maintenance, and long-term sustainability of the ageing assets.

It comes as the city's other ferry, the MV Hunter, which in the past has acted as a back-up service when faults occurred, was taken offline in February awaiting urgent repairs at the busy Carrington slipway, and has not returned.

The Hunter, which was understood to have been dispatched to Sydney this week, taking up the state's offer to get it fixed, could presumably return to service in coming weeks, though the repairs being undertaken were believed to be short of a major refurbishment or overhaul.

The vessel was understood to be due for a 1000-hour service, with a focus on necessary repairs in Sydney to get the vessel back online as soon as possible.

But residents, and the operator, have previously noted that the age of the vessels meant that breakdowns were becoming more common, and were likely to continue without significant intervention to prolong their serviceable life.

The Hunter had sat idle, docked at Wickham, for months this year after it was initially craned from the water in February for its regular biennial survey, which includes repairs and anti-fouling. After being put back in the water, it broke down and was towed to the ferry base, where it has stayed until this month.

Keolis Downer has consistently denied that the $25,000 cost of craning the vessel out of the water to make repairs was the reason for the extended delay. It has previously said that, owing to the age of the vessels, old repair options including craning, and trucking the boats to Port Macquarie, when the Carrington slipway was unavailable, were no longer preferred.

It last sent a ferry to Port Macquarie in 2023.

Stockton Community Group executive Alison Rigby, whose organisation has long called for a solution to the ailing service that regularly cuts residents off from the city, has previously labelled the state's and the operator's quick fixes and bus replacements as a "band-aid solution".

On Saturday, only days after the last outage, she said "one week of stability was not enough".

"The band-aid solution didn't stick at all," she said. "It fell straight off."

Ms Rigby has called for a replacement ferry from Sydney to be dispatched to the Newcastle harbour until the Hunter and Shortland can be returned to regular and reliable service, but said a more permanent and long term solution was needed.

"If we're going to send one to Sydney, surely we can get one of a similar size that could come up and at least take the pressure off the ferry that is running. That is the problem. It's like The Little Engine that 'Does'. It keeps going and then it has more problems."

Ms Rigby was grateful for the Premier's sentiment, and said it was "important and useful to see that the government is listening", but added the community needed more than sentimental support.

"The question I still have is, what is the timeline on this?" she said. "Sydney ferries have a renewal every so many years. There's a cycle of renewal. We don't have that in Newcastle. So, that needs to be added to the list."

"What happens if it breaks down between Christmas and New Year?" She asked. "We are moving now into tourism season and there are people everywhere, and people coming to visit. How are they going to get home?"

The Premier, Mr Minns, acknowledged the community's angst at the weekend and attributed the delay in part to the privatisation of the network.

"It would be a lot easier if it was government run," he said. "When it comes to essential public services, you just can't transplant the state's obligations to a private owner."

Asked to clarify whether the state would reconsider its contract with Keolis Downer, he said: "No, I just make the self-evident point that when it comes to essential services that the government needs to provide, it is a lot easier when it is run, owned and operated by the NSW Government."

"When you get into a contract basis, we have to deal with a third party to provide an essential service. It's just not easy."

Keolis Downer and Newcastle Transport have been contacted for comment.

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