Albion Ferry

{{Short description|Former ferry service in British Columbia, Canada}}

{{Infobox water transit

|name = Albion Ferry

|logo =

|image = Albion ferry.jpg

|image_size = 250px

|locale = Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

|waterway = Fraser River

|transit_type = Passenger and vehicle ferry

|began_operation = {{Start date and age|1957|06|02}}

|ended_operation = {{End date and age|2009|07|31}}

|system_length =

|lines = 1

|vessels = 2

|terminals = 2

|ridership =

|operator = Fraser River Marine Transportation Ltd.

|owner = TransLink

}}

The Albion Ferry was a passenger and vehicle ferry service that sailed on the Fraser River between Albion and Fort Langley in the Lower Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada from June 2, 1957,{{cite hansard |title=Private Members' Statements: The Albion Ferry| jurisdiction=Province of British Columbia | house=Legislative Assembly | speaker=Michael Sather | date=March 30, 2009 | page=14737 | url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/38th5th/h90330a.htm#14737}} until July 31, 2009.

Originally operated by the Ministry of Highways as part of their inland ferry services, a single vessel – MV T'Lagunna – provided service every hour from 1:00{{nbsp}}am to 6:00{{nbsp}}am and every 30 minutes during the rest of the day. It ran continuously when there were overloads.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}. Named for the Halqemeylem name for the Golden Ears,{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} it had originally served the communities of Agassiz and Rosedale as MV Agassiz.{{cite web | url=http://www.pbase.com/ed_whitebone/image/61891075/original | title=Former River Ferry | quote=Gerald Roberts: This ferry was the Albion crossing vessel on the Fraser. Built 1931 as the AGASSIZ, later changed to T.LAGUNNA and finally INLET NAVIGATOR. I converted this ferry into a freight carrier, working out of BELLA COOLA servicing OCEAN FALLS, KLEMTU, BELLA BELLA, SHEARWATER, NAMU and return. The ramp is from B.C. ferries crane Coast guard. Vessel had props & rudders both ends very cranky to manoeuvre. Last seen Allied being converted into a barge. | date=December 21, 2011 | access-date=June 28, 2012}} Built in 1931, it had a vehicle capacity of just 16 cars.{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=0f8eafd4-3b33-4e26-8537-31f35cb3a8bb |title=Final sailing |date=July 31, 2009 |access-date=June 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809195140/http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=0f8eafd4-3b33-4e26-8537-31f35cb3a8bb |archive-date=August 9, 2014 }} Tolls of 40 cents per car and driver, and 10 cents per additional passenger, were initially charged{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|375078610}} |title=Celebrating 50 years of ferry service |newspaper=The News |location=Maple Ridge |date=17 January 2007 |page=24 }} but these were removed on February 15, 1972,{{cite hansard |title=Speech from the Throne | jurisdiction=Province of British Columbia | house=Legislative Assembly | speaker=Hunter B Vogel | date=January 28, 1972 | page=153 | url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/29th3rd/29p_03s_720128p.htm#00153}} and the service remained free thereafter. In 1978, after many years of complaints about safety and reliability{{cite hansard |title=Estimates: Department of Highways | jurisdiction=Province of British Columbia | house=Legislative Assembly | speaker=GS Wallace | date=June 9, 1975 | page=3207 | url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/30th5th/30p_05s_750609a.htm#03207}} another ferry – MV Kulleet – was put into service alongside T'Lagunna. In 1985, Kulleet's sister ship, MV Klatawa replaced T'Lagunna, which was kept as a spare until 1986. Both Kulleet and Klatawa had previously been servicing short routes in the Gulf Islands. T'Lagunna was sold for use as a cargo barge, and eventually sank in Howe Sound; it was salvaged in 2011.{{cite news | title=The T'Lagunna rising | author=Rebecca Aldous | url=http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20111216/SQUAMISH0101/312169947/-1/squamish0101/the-tlagunna-rising | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203082152/http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20111216/SQUAMISH0101/312169947/-1/squamish0101/the-tlagunna-rising | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 3, 2013 | newspaper=The Squamish Chief | location=Squamish, British Columbia | date=December 16, 2011 | access-date=June 28, 2012 }}

In 1998, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (operating as TransLink) was created to handle all transportation in greater Vancouver, including the Albion ferry. A subsidiary company, Fraser River Marine Transportation Ltd., was created to operate the ferry. At a 50th anniversary celebration in June 2007, a commemorative plaque was placed by Maple Ridge's Community Heritage Commission at the Albion ferry terminal.{{cite web|url=http://www.mapleridge.ca/assets/Default/Clerks/Committees~and~Commissions/Community~Heritage~Commission/pdfs/chc_summer07newsletter.pdf |title=Maple Ridge Community Heritage Commission newsletter, Summer 2007 |access-date=June 28, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The ferry service was retired shortly after the Golden Ears Bridge opened to traffic on June 16, 2009. The last sailings for Kulleet and Klatawa took place on July 31, 2009, just after noon.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/albion-ferry-makes-final-voyage-1.849859 |title=Albion Ferry makes final voyage |publisher=CBC News |date=July 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628224104/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/07/31/bc-albion-ferry-final-sail.html |archive-date=June 28, 2011 |url-status=live }} At the end of its life the ferry employed 58 full-time and as many as 20 auxiliary employees;{{cite web|url=http://www.bcgeu.ca/albion |title=END OF AN ERA: Albion Ferry dry docked after 52 years service |date=July 31, 2009 |access-date=June 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614052026/http://www.bcgeu.ca/albion |archive-date=June 14, 2012 }} 2006 traffic amounted to 1.5 million vehicles and 4.0 million passengers{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}. The two ferries were sold in 2011 for $400,000 to a local marine transportation company.{{cite web | url=http://www.translink.ca/en/About-Us/Media/2011/December/Albion-Ferries-Sold-to-BC-Buyer.aspx | title=Albion Ferries sold to BC buyer | date=December 30, 2011 | access-date=June 28, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126020124/http://www.translink.ca/en/About-Us/Media/2011/December/Albion-Ferries-Sold-to-BC-Buyer.aspx | archive-date=January 26, 2012 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}