The construction of Brisbane's new casino precinct has been blamed for a drop in the number of ferry commuters thanks to CityCat and CityHopper services forced to travel at reduced speeds.

TransLink performance data for the past year shows almost 200,000 commuters abandoned ferry travel from October to December last year.

Fewer commuters are using ferries during the construction of Brisbane's new casino precinct. Credit:Alamy

During that time, 1.58 million trips were taken, down from 1.77 million between July and September the same year.

TransLink attributed the drop to Queen's Wharf construction work "which requires Brisbane CityCat and CityHopper services to travel at reduced speed limits to ensure no wash is created by the vessels".