SOUTHAMPTON waterfront is to undergo a major facelift in a widescale redevelopment by ferry operators Red Funnel, the Daily Echo can reveal.

By next Easter the city will have a brand new terminal for the thousands of passengers and vehicles using the link between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

News of the development, which will see the construction of a state-of-the-art ticket office, upgraded customer facilities and marshalling area, comes as Red Funnel announces record figures on both its vehicle ferry and high-speed catamaran services in the first six months of the year.

Red Funnel is also closely examining the possibility of "stretching'' the first two of the company's catamarans to boost the vessels' passenger capacity to that of the latest Red Jet.

In another move the cross-Solent operator is considering increasing the vehicle carrying space on its fleet of car ferries by raising the passenger decks.

The Southampton waterfront scheme is the second significant project to be undertaken by Red Funnel in preparation for the first busy summer season of the new millennium.

Work is already at an advanced stage in preparation to improve the berth for the company's Red Jet catamarans at West Cowes as part of an ambitious scheme to totally revamp the town's seafront and marina facilities.

Plans for the Southampton site, at Town Quay, call for the demolition of the present passenger terminal, a huge expansion of the waiting area for vehicles joining ferries and the transfer of the present car park.

Demand for space on board Red Funnel's ferries is now growing so fast the company has been forced to take action to help streamline its quayside operations and speed up the turn-round time for their vessels.

The car park at Red Funnel's Terminal 1 will be moved to land further along Town Quay freeing up space to be used for extra marshalling lanes and the new building will be constructed on a different part of the site.

Alistair Whyte, Red Funnel's managing director, said: "Work is due to begin early in the new year on the project which we believe will provide us with enough extra vehicle and passenger capacity for at least a further five to seven years. Any decision on enlarging the capacity of the catamarans and the vehicle ferries is not expected until 2001.''

Figures up to June this year show Red Funnel's passenger numbers up by 5.76 per cent, and cars up by 7.85 per cent.

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