New boat service from Chiswick Pier
Necessary but not sufficient - Story 127
A new boat service has been launched between Westminster and Kew. And Thames River Boats says there’ll be select sailings calling at Chiswick Pier.
Departure times can vary due to the tide and the weather. On Tuesday 26 August, 2025 there were four scheduled departures/arrivals:
12:10 - to Kew Pier
12:50 - to Westminster Pier
15:40 - to Kew Pier
16:50 - to Westminster Pier
Chiswick to Westminster adult costs £17.50 with family, child and senior discounts available. The full journey from Kew to Westminster takes about 90 minutes.
The forward calendar for trips is here. At the time of writing, the website booking system has not adjusted totally to the Chiswick option so check timings carefully.
You can book tickets here.
Notes & thoughts
Extra river traffic should be welcome. The Thames is, after all, a public space although along this stretch it can often feel sealed off, a backdrop for walkers rather than a transport route.
This is a leisure cruise worthy of the potential destinations - Kew Gardens and Westminster Palace.
But we need more.
London’s river transport remains stubbornly thin once you go west beyond Putney. If the capital is serious about shifting trips away from cars, then the river must play a bigger role: weekday sailings, peak-time frequency, pricing pitched not just at visitors with cameras but at residents who might otherwise drive.
Round-table discussions at Mortlake Mash-Up included the possibility of reviving Mortlake Wharf. Maybe that and a restored Barnes Pier might make an extension viable?
Chiswick Pier’s new service is a visible reminder - on select days only - that the Thames is not just a backdrop but a living transport corridor.