Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry
Hythe Pier, the Hythe Pier Railway and the Hythe Ferry provide a link between the English port city of Southampton and the Hampshire village of Hythe on the west side of Southampton Water. It is used both by commuters and tourists, and forms an important link in the Solent Way and E9 European coastal paths. The ferry is the only one remaining of the various ferries that once linked Southampton with points around Southampton Water.
| Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°52′29″N 1°23′37″W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Pier, railway and ferry | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Blue Funnel Ferries Ltd | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock |
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Listed Building – Grade II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official name | Hythe Pier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designated | 17 August 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference no. | 1476460 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The pier, railway and ferry service are currently operated by Blue Funnel Ferries of Southampton. In October 2016 the previous owners (White Horse Ferries) warned their staff of potential redundancy which suggested an uncertain future from the pier and ferry service. After months of talks Lee Rayment of Blue Funnel completed negotiations to acquire the Pier, Train and Ferry with operations starting on 21 April 2017.
The railway is the oldest continuously operating public pier train in the world.
The ferry was due to stop operating from the end of 2022 but services continued in the hope that a new owner could be found. In September 2023 the Solent ferry operator Red Funnel announced that it had taken over the operation.