Hythe Pier

Hythe Pier, the Hythe Pier Railway and the Hythe Ferry together provide a transport link between the English port city of Southampton and the HampshireHythe on the opposite side of Southampton Water. This link is heavily used by commuters and shoppers from Hythe, as well as forming an important link in the Solent Way and E9 European coastal paths.

The pier, railway and ferry service are currently all operated by White Horse Ferries Ltd of Swindon. The railway is the oldest continuously operating public pier train in the world.

Hythe Pier stretches 700 yards (640 m) from the centre of Hythe to the deep water channel of Southampton Water. It is approximately 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and carries a pedestrian walkway and cycleway on its northern side, and the track of the Hythe Pier Railway on its southern side.

An act of parliament was passed granting permission for the construction of the pier in 1878. Construction started in 1879 and the pier opened in 1881.

The act of parliament made provision for the construction of a tramway along the pier, although one was not originally laid. Sometime before 1914 a narrow gauge railway was constructed for use with the transport of goods. The vehicles on this original railway were hand-propelled, and the track was laid flush with the pier decking.

In 1922 the railway was reconstructed and electrified, attaining its current form. The track is laid to 2 ft (610 mm) gauge, and is electrified at 250 V DC by means of a third rail on the seaward side of the track. The line consists of a single track with no passing loops, although there are two non-electrified sidings at the landward end.

The line is operated by two four-wheeled electric locomotives built by BrushWorld War I with works numbers 16302 & 16307. These locomotives were built in 1917 and were originally battery powered, being used at the wartime mustard gas factory at Avonmouth. The locomotives were transferred to Hythe after the war, where they were converted to collect power from a third rail and had their batteries removed. The two locomotives are currently crudely numbered No1 & No2 on their seaward sides.

The line owns four bogie passenger cars, two of which are equipped with a driving cab at their seaward ends. In normal operation, the single train in service is made up of one of the locomotives propelling three passenger cars and a four wheel flat car for baggage. The locomotive is always located at the landward end, whilst the seaward passenger car must be one of those with a driving cab. The line also possesses a four wheel oil tank car, which is used to carry fuel to the Hythe ferries.

Each train on the Pier Railway connects at the pier head with an arrival and departure of the Hythe Ferry. The ferry service carries both passengers and bicycles, and takes about 10 minutes for the crossing. On route, the ferry passes the terminal used by the passenger liners Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, and by various other cruise ships, giving good views of these vessels when they are in port.

The Southampton terminal of the ferry service is at the Town Quay. This is also the terminal of the Red Funnel ferries to the Isle of Wight. Town Quay is a short walk from the city centre, and is linked to both the city centre and Southampton Central railway station by a free shuttle bus.

A ferry has operated from Hythe to Southampton since the Middle Ages, and steam vessels were first introduced in 1830. The current ferry service is operated with two very different vessels:^[9]

• The Great Expectations is a catamaran ferry which originally worked on the White Horse Ferries service across the River Thames from Tilbury to Gravesend.^[9]
• The Hotspur IV was built in 1946 and has served on the Hythe Ferry ever since.^[9]

The Hotspur IV was the last in a line of similar ferries. One of her earlier half-sisters, the Hotspur II of 1936, saw further service as a ferry on the Firth of Clyde under the name Kenilworth.^[9]