Seafaring New Yorkers will have a bevy of new options for traversing the city via its waterways come Monday, Dec. 8, when NYC Ferry launches service on its revamped routes.
The ferry system, which is run by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), announced its refreshed routes last month as part of its NYC Ferry Optimization Plan, The redesign, the system’s first since it began operations in 2017, is intended to shorten commute times, improve effeciency, boost ridership, and give ferry users more destinations to travel to, according to the EDC.
EDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball, in a statement last month, said the new routes will “deliver faster commutes, better connections, and improved service for New Yorkers across all five boroughs.”
NYC Ferry and the EDC finalized the reconfiguration after receiving over 15,000 responses to their proposed redesign released in July.
Perhaps most notable among the new routes is one that will, for the first time in the system’s history, connect Brooklyn to Staten Island. The current Saint George route, which goes from the landing in Staten Island to West 39th Street in Manhattan, will now also include Bay Ridge and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, as well as Wall Street in Manhattan.
Staten Island Council Member Kamillah Hanks (D) said in a statement last month that the change was “long-overdue” and will help connect her borough to the rest of the city.
“By linking Staten Island to Brooklyn and Pier 11, we are unlocking new opportunities for commuters, supporting our local economy, and reaffirming Staten Island’s role in New York City’s future,” Hanks said at the time.
The system’s other changes include splitting the stops on the current East River route into two separate ones; combining the Rockaway route, which previously terminated at Wall Street, with the Soundview route; and extending the South Brooklyn route to East 34th Street in Manhattan.
Next summer, NYC Ferry will also begin a weekend pilot of extending the South Brooklyn line down to Sunset Park and Bay Ridge. It will then evaluate the success of the pilot service next fall.
Additionally, coming out of the Ferry Optimization Plan, NYC Ferry has also pledged to complete a second homeport facility already under construction in Red Hook, Brooklyn, as well as updates to the 34th Street terminal to boost boat and passenger capacity there.
The ferry system further announced last month that it would begin the process of installing new landings at East Harlem 125th Street and MADE-Bush Terminal in Sunset Park.
The new ferry routes will go into effect on the same day as another major New York transit shakeup — the Metropolitan Transportation Authority swapping the F and M lines between Manhattan and Queens.
