Thames boats link Tower and Eye

A new service will link the Tower of London and the London Eye

Two new vessels are to swell the number of the Thames commuter boat service and ferry tourists between two landmarks.

The high-speed, 120-seat catamarans will bring the Thames Clippers' fleet to seven boats from next week.

One will offer an express link between the London Eye and the Tower of London once rush hour demand has died down.

The other will help extend the Thames Clippers service eastwards to Woolwich Arsenal, which is being redeveloped but still has limited transport links.

In some catchment areas, it is the quickest form of transport to get from home to work Sean Collins Thames Clippers

The Thames Clipper service began in 1999 with just one vessel but says it has proved so popular it needs new boats to make space for more passengers.

In 2004, 1.8 million journeys were made on its service - by 2006 it hopes to increase that to four million.

Managing director Sean Collins said 75% of passengers were commuters, who appreciated the reliability of the service - even if it was not as regular as the Tube.

"In some catchment areas, it is the quickest form of transport to get from home to work," he told BBC News.

Increasing custom

"The real jewel in the crown here for us, hopefully, is going to be Woolwich Arsenal, where the transport infrastructure there is quite bad and overcrowded.

"It will allow people to transit between Woolwich Arsenal and Canary Wharf, the City and the West End, a lot more easily."

The new London Eye service is aimed at increasing custom during off-peak hours and follows the launch of a service linking the Tate Britain with the Tate Modern two years ago.

The Sun Clipper and Moon Clipper will be launched at St Katherine's Dock on Thursday and will start taking passengers next week.