Newcastle City Council is considering reopening the 140-year-old Bergen–Newcastle ferry route.

The route was discontinued in 2008 by operator DFDS due to rising oil prices. Now, City Council Leader Karen Kilgour wants to see the ferry return to service, Secret Glasgow reports.

For 140 years, passengers could board a ship in Newcastle and sail directly across the North Sea to Bergen. The closure in 2008 marked the end of a long-standing connection between the two cities, which have been twin cities for almost 60 years.

“We would very much like to see the ferry back in service. We know that many people in both cities have fond memories of travelling by ship between Newcastle and Bergen,” says Kilgour.

Newcastle is just a two-and-a-half-hour train journey from Glasgow, meaning that a reopening would also make Bergen far more accessible to Scots.

Bergen is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Fjords”, serving as the starting point for exploring Norway’s UNESCO-listed fjords. The city is also Norway’s second largest and has historical ties to Newcastle dating back to the Second World War.

Kilgour acknowledges that there are challenges standing in the way of reopening the route.

“Although operators currently consider the route not to be economically viable, we will continue working with our partners and our friends in Bergen to explore every opportunity to bring it back,” she says.

Previous attempts to reopen the ferry route have been unsuccessful.