Halifax ferry riders facing longer waits with two vessels out of service

Halifax is reducing ferry service due to repairs for the Vincent Coleman vessel.

Ferry riders going between Alderney Landing and downtown Halifax will have to wait a little longer for the next ride due to mechanical issues to a pair of vessels that have been pulled from service.

Halifax Regional Municipality says weekday ferry service to and from Alderney Landing is now running every 30 minutes between 7:15 a.m. and 8:15 p.m., instead of the usual 15-minute departures.

The change follows the removal of the Vincent Coleman from service for mechanical repairs after it broke down last week, forcing crews to drop anchor in the harbour.

Halifax Transit staff didn’t respond to an interview request but, in a press statement on Monday, communications staff said a mechanical issue onboard the Vincent Coleman required repair, but it’s not clear what the issue is nor how long the repair is expected to take.

Dartmouth Centre Councillor Sam Austin says short-term disruptions are manageable but longer delays could have a bigger impact.

“It’s disruptive when you lose a few days,” said Austin. “But if this goes on for weeks or months, it really starts to affect people’s day-to-day lives.”

Dartmouth East–Burnside Councillor Tony Mancini, frequently uses the ferry service and says the latest mechanical problems add to the ongoing concerns around service reliability.

“We’ve already seen schedule changes because of labour shortages,” said Mancini. “And now there’s mechanical issues on top of that, it becomes very frustrating because we need our transit service.”

The Halifax transit union says some of the mechanical issues could have been avoided if spare parts had been stocked in advance.

In a statement to CTV News, ATU 508 president and business agent Patricio Garcia said key components are sourced from Germany, with lead times that can stretch weeks or even months.

There is no-timeline for the return to service of the Vincent Coleman nor the Craig Blake which is in dry-dock in Sambro awaiting a part to be manufactured said Garcia and that could take months.

For now, transit officials are urging riders to plan ahead.

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