Wightlink passengers face 90-minute delay as ramp fault causes traffic chaos in Portsmouth

The issue at Wightlink’s terminal in Gunwharf Road, Portsmouth, caused delays to the firm’s scheduled car ferry service to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. 

A Wightlink spokeswoman confirmed the fault was with the upper loading ramp at the site, after the firm earlier took to Twitter to inform users of an issue with an ‘essential piece of equipment’. 

After being flagged up just before 1pm, the problem was resolved by 4pm, but left a hangover of queuing passengers and heavy traffic in the area – affecting St George’s Road, Hampshire Terrace, Anglesea Road and Queen Street among others. 

Wightlink said on Twitter at 4.11pm: ‘Our teams are continuing to work hard at returning our Ports-Fish car ferry service back to the scheduled timetable but some customers may experience delays of up to 90 mins.

‘We apologise for any changes to your travel plans and we'll keep you updated with progress.’ 

The congestion caused led to delays to city buses and Hovertravel’s Hoverbus service, which journeys around Portsmouth and Southsea, calling at the firm’s terminal adjacent to Clarence Pier. 

Hovertravel tweeted: 'Due to traffic congestion, the Hoverbus is diverting to Anglesey Rd, missing Museum Rd and the Portsmouth Grammar Sch & Gunwharf Quays side entrance bus stop. The Hard stop is operating as normal.’ 

Meanwhile bus operator Stagecoach said the incident caused its 23 and 700 services to lag behind schedule.