PLYM ended her distinguished Torpoint Ferry service yesterday (Thursday) as her newly-built £5 million replacement Plym II was being prepared to take over on the crossing to Devonport, perhaps by Christmas. Plym II, constructed on the Clyde by Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd, was towed by tug from Scotland to Millbay Docks in Plymouth earlier this week. She is scheduled to arrive at Torpoint tomorrow (Saturday) at noon where, following connection to her chains, she will undergo a period of trials and crew training lasting 10 to 15 days before entering service. While this is going on, a two-ferry fifteen-minute service will operate. Plym II is the same length as the existing ferries, but two metres wider, meaning that she has six traffic lanes as opposed to four on her predecessors. This means that she will have a capacity for 73 vehicles instead of the present 56. The two extra-wide centre lanes will be capable of taking lorries of up to 44 tonnes. The crew of four are well catered for with their own cabin and toilet facilities, and the controller will have duplicate controls and a swivel chair, meaning he no longer needs to change ends of the ferry. Other features include an engine room in two halves, either of which can be closed off in the event of fire, and extra buoyancy chambers meaning the ferry would stay afloat even if two were punctured. A further £3 million is being spent on improving the onshore facilities at Torpoint and Devonport. Free crossings Meanwhile, as in previous years the toll will be suspended on the Tamar Bridge from 6am on Christmas Day to 6am on Boxing Day. Drivers are asked to approach the toll plaza and pass through the booths with care. Torpoint Ferry tolls will be suspended from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on Boxing Day. The following ferry schedule will operate over the Christmas and New Year periods, but is subject to change due to the commissioning of the new ferry. * December 24: Normal service until 8pm when a half-hourly service on the hour and half hour from Torpoint, and a quarter to and a quarter past the hour from Devonport will operate * December 25: Half-hourly service * December 26: Fifteen-minute service from 6.45am to 9.30pm after which a half-hourly service will operate * December 27 and 28: Saturday service, with fifteen-minute service from 6.45am and 9.30am and 5.30pm to 9.30pm, ten-minute service between 9.30am and 5.30pm, and half-hourly service from 9.30pm. December 31: Normal service until 7pm when a fifteen-minute service will operate until 9.30pm after which the service will reduce to half-hourly January 1 to January 3 2005: Saturday service as on December 27 will operate on all three days. Should the commissioning of the new ferry Plym II not be completed by the start of the festive period, maximum service will be restricted to two ferries, and a fifteen-minute service will operate outside the times advertised for single ferry operation.