Figures up for Tyne ferry service

The Spirit of the Tyne is one of two ferries on the route

The cross-Tyne ferry service is becoming more popular, the latest figures have shown.

In the year to April 2008 there were 474,000 passenger journeys on the route, an increase of 19,000.

Nexus, which operates the ferry, described the rise as a boost for the service, which runs between North and South Shields.

It said some of the increase could be due to the £1.9m Spirit of the Tyne, which began operating a year ago.

Director General of Nexus, Bernard Garner, said: "Our aim now is to build on this success and see if we can attract even more passengers on to the Shields ferry.

"If we have a better summer than we did last year then I don't see any reason why we can't achieve that."