Wightlink Portsmouth-Fishborne ferry crossing to be reduced

Victoria Of Wight is due to enter service on the Portsmouth-Fishborne route

Daytime ferry crossings between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight are to be reduced in frequency.

Wightlink said daytime services would drop from half-hourly to hourly in its 2018-19 timetable when Victoria of Wight joins its fleet.

The company said there would be more evening sailings and the new £30m ship would have more capacity for vehicles.

It said the "readjustment" followed feedback from customers and would help improve punctuality.

The Victoria Of Wight, currently under construction in Turkey, is a new hybrid diesel and electric-powered vessel due to enter service on the Fishborne-Portsmouth cross-Solent route.

The company said the 2018-19 timetable, due to start in October, would have "slightly fewer sailings" but it was responding to customers who wanted more evening sailings.

Wightlink opened a new customer terminal building at the Gunwharf ferry port in Portsmouth.

It said there would be eight more evening round-trip sailings each week and an increase in the number of discounted spaces for frequent travellers. Extra half-hourly sailings will also be scheduled during bank holidays and other busy times.

Chief executive Keith Greenfield said: "There are generally benefits to the environment, timetable resilience and the standard of travel that passengers will enjoy using our two large ships on a core hourly service."

Earlier this week, the company opened a new customer terminal building at the Gunwharf ferry port in Portsmouth.