Harbourlynx - New Year Order ?

[NMcKay]

why would Dane know anything? and ill see if/when a press release will go out. and ill post on that day. you'll see it here first.

[Dane]

harbourlynxkid said:

why would Dane know anything? and ill see if/when a press release will go out. and ill post on that day. you'll see it here first.

Because I read the paper and reported the order on here when you were still in denial ha ha, and I'm sure like all articles in the Province the article was 100% accurate.

[NMcKay]

yeah well. i dont really want to get in trouble. i would hate to lose my job over one little post on this forum.

[NMcKay]

mid to end of jan 06

[NMcKay]

well...you cant get much newer than the ferries we want

[Dane]

It wul be awesome to see increased service. It's an awesome alternative to BCFS. Now with Washington moving into the market (potentally), too, I hope it doesn't flood. That being said the CEO (?) of HarbourLynx said he was very supportive of the Washington groups plans to run out of North Vancouver on CBC about 3 weeks ago.

[NMcKay]

you mean the "President" of Harbourlynx, and yeah. we dont mind. we feel like the little goldfish in a sea of sharks, and if we can get another fish into it. then we might be able to prove some things that we wern't able to before.

[NMcKay]

I dunno. i cant hurry them along. they just keep....waiting......i dont even know if they will buy a new boat.

[NMcKay]

i dunno. i cant really speak for anyone at the compan. Ive been hoping for a new vessel for many months. somthing faster, and something custom fit for our community. and even with the new ferry, i dont think they will jump onto them from us. why would they? why would they pay approx the same amount of money. to take more time and to ride from a location not near public transportation?

[Dane]

I assume you mean Duke Point when you say not near public transit... everything else is pretty close. Albeit not as close as actually being in a TL facility.

[NMcKay]

and the fact there is very little public transit near the second narrows bridge where they plan to land in north van. i think there is 2 bus's

[Dane]

harbourlynxkid said:

and the fact there is very little public transit near the second narrows bridge where they plan to land in north van. i think there is 2 bus's

They have two propsed sites, both with in about a 5-10 minute walk of transit excahnges, L'dale Quay and Phibbs respectivly. Both have direct transit access to Vancouver, West Vancouver, and residential zones of North Vancouver. The eastern most proposed site is on a transit route, the Lonsdale site is not.

[Dane]

I think the land's in trust to the City of North Vancouver, but I am not sure. Most of the land around there was given to the city when the shipyard folded (under it's previous managment).

Both sites could facilitate PAX, but HL does have a very distinct advantage in terms of location. Plus the psychological barrier that the two bridges create coming to North Vancouver is hard for many to overcome.

[NMcKay]

we've got a pretty solid customer base. and im pretty sure nothing is going to be affected too much if they join the game.

[deepseamaster]

are you guys for real? this is a very ammusing web page. well maybe sort of ammusing.

[Balfour]

Yes this webpage is for real, and I'm glad you find this page amusing, now lets get back on topic...

[Doug]

Deep sea master eh.... What type of ship do you work on...?

[Inquisitive One]

H-lynx Teen:
What makes you think "your" company won't be affected by this?
I've heard comments by Bill McKay saying "..it will do little harm..." and in The Business Edge News, he is quoted:
"Bill McKay, operations manager for Nanaimo-based HarbourLynx, welcomes Washington Marine Group's entry into the passenger-ferry market.

"We certainly don't want to be cavalier about it," says McKay. "That's not what we're saying. What we're saying is there's room for both in the market."

Oh come on. "Welcomes" the WMG?
Is he putting resumes out yet? ;D

[Scott]

I'm sure there's room in the market for both. With WMG's current plans in using the PacifiCats, I can't see how it will draw too much from HarbourLynx. I think BC Ferries would have to be more worried than HarbourLynx. HarbourLynx has the advantage of being very close to transit at both ends, rapid transit on the Vancouver end (it will be even more convenient when RAV is done). It also has the advantage of speed.

The PacifiCat's won't be able to get as close to transit as HarbourLynx, and definitely not as close to rapid transit. So it will be more targetted to vehicle traffic. Also, it won't be as fast as HarbourLynx - it will probably take 2 hours per trip. And I doubt that the PacifiCats will end up going right into downtown Nanaimo.

HarbourLynx has made some good connections in Vancouver. They've had deals with the float-plane companies, BC Lions, etc. They've cornered a good amount of the commuter market that won't be taken away by WMG.

If the price is right, there's always room for more traffic to the Island. The population is growing fast, so more capacity is needed. I think more people would travel more often if they knew they could get a ferry at a certain time, if it didn't cost so much, if it was quicker, ... and probably for a lot more reasons.

[Mike C]

Here's the scoop: WMG is going to Duke Point, where--as far as I know--there's no transit whatsoever.

Also, I actually think it's only going to take 95 min to get across, the same amount of time it takes the Cs to do route 2. Remember, that the Cats can do thirty-five knots, and that's 16 more than the Alberni, and 13 more than the other Cs.

[Doug]

Actually, here is the REAL scoop: WMG is not even certain yet whether they are going to provide this service or not, as they will not be until late March.

If the service is provided, the Vancouver Island terminus will likely be around the site of the current Harmac Mill, as the land is already owned by WMG. Also, the ships will be operating at a reduced speed (22 knots). As for transit; who needs it? This will be mainly a car service. If you want to take a passenger-only service, take the Harbourlynx. If you want to get on a bus for the Island, take BC Ferries.

[Dane]

I would agree with John and HL Teen, the service I doubt would be effected by a potential entry of WMG into the market.

As we discussed on the previous page HL has the transit connections companies, even like BCFS, dream of. They have a fast, passenger only service that no large car carrying fast cat could even try and compete with. Just factoring docking and loading time fo a WMG fast cat kills their "competative" speed edge.

Secondly, WMG is proposing operating at a stagering 1 knot an hour faster than BC Ferries... so I would say HL is quite safe.

[Ferryman]

mainlander101 said:

Here's the scoop: WMG is going to Duke Point, where--as far as I know--there's no transit whatsoever.

I seem to recall that there are cabs that go out there and wait outside the terminal, along with a shuttle bus that does take you into Nanaimo. But it's not BC Transit, so I don't know where the stops are. But I think it connects with Departure Bay. If anything I think it's the same shuttle bus company that goes to Departure Bay as well. But I'm not 100% sure on that one. Ultra Walker...over to you perhaps...?

[Scott]

Yeah, I took the cab... well, it was the shuttle bus from Duke Point into Nanaimo and it cost twice as much as the ferry ride, so that was the first and last time I did that.

In contrast, the shuttle from Departure Bay to Parksville was similar, if not less, in price... much better value.

[Mike C]

I ride route 30 every year, and for a couple of years they (BC Ferries) did this announcement when approaching Duke Point: "We are nearing Duke Point terminal. There is no public transit at this terminal. Limited taxis are available for foot passengers." Of course that was a number of years ago, and they don't say that anymore.