Call for new Thames Crossing to fund ferry service

Revenue from the Dart charge, the existing toll on the Dartford Crossing, was ?216m in 2023.

A toll to use the new lower Thames crossing (LTC) is expected.

In a letter to the government's transport secretary, the MPs wrote: "The funding necessary to restore the historic ferry service would represent significantly less than 0.1% of the projected annual toll revenue from the Dartford and Lower Thames Crossings".

Craft and Sullivan said it "would create a low-carbon, cross-river public transport link that complements the strategic objectives of the LTC".

They argued the ferry service "would provide visible and lasting benefit to the communities that will experience the greatest disruption from construction, while strengthening connectivity across the Thames Estuary".

More than 100,000 foot passenger journeys were made every year on the ferry service.

The MPs said hundreds had signed a petition to bring the boat back.