BC Ferries passengers could see delays after Langdale terminal ramp fails

Passengers traveling to and from the Sunshine Coast via BC Ferries may experience significant delays or cancellations following a mechanical failure at the Langdale Terminal this past weekend. The issue, which occurred Sunday afternoon at Berth 1, has restricted vehicle loading to the main deck of vessels, thereby reducing overall capacity.

This is not the first time this particular problem has surfaced; a similar incident on May 16 caused major backlogs and left some passengers behind. On Sunday night, drivers already aboard the Queen of Surrey were forced to back off the vessel on the Vancouver side. BC Ferries confirmed that staff are currently loading vehicles using only the main deck, which lowers capacity per sailing. However, a spokesperson stated that service continues to operate, and all customers with reservations have been accommodated by shifting some bookings to later sailings, with no cancellations reported to date.

Eric McNeely, provincial president of the BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union, linked the infrastructure failure to BC Ferries' ongoing challenge with deferred investment. He noted that a previous assessment indicated 30 to 50 percent of terminals require significant repairs. McNeely highlighted that the upper ramp at Langdale has presented challenges throughout its existence, and the current situation exacerbates issues for the Sunshine Coast, one of the busiest routes, especially during summer.

McNeely also pointed out that the dissolution of ferry advisory committees leaves residents with fewer avenues to voice concerns about infrastructure, sailing frequency, or delays. The problems at Langdale are reportedly causing frustration in Powell River as well, leading to backlogs and delays for passengers traveling from that terminal. Despite efforts by crews to accommodate passengers, the system is not operating at full capacity due to these infrastructure issues.

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So if we look back a couple years ago, BC Ferries did an assessment of their terminals and there’s 30 to 50 per cent of the terminals were in a state of needing significant repair, so in poor condition or needing significant repair. Langdale has, especially the upper ramp in Langdale … had challenges for basically its entire duration and what we’re seeing certainly through Sunday and going into this week looks to be more of that, where folks on the Sunshine Coast who already had one of the busiest routes in the summertime now have less capacity due to less access for that upper car deck, and I think that’s going to lead to some real challenges.