<strong>Chapter</strong> 3Ferry Services in in the the NYMTC NYMTC Planning Region AreaPUTNAMCONNECTICUTH<strong>New</strong> London, CTWESTCHESTERHFishers Island, NYNEWJERSEYHHaverstrawROCKLANDHOssiningHBridgeport, CTHPort JeffersonGreenportOrient PointHHShelter IslandHHNorth HavenHMontaukBlock Island, RIHJersey City, NJEdgewater, NJSee InsetHHBRONXQUEENSNASSAUBay ShoreHSayvilleHHS U F F O L KPatchogueHSt. GeorgeSTATENIS.KINGSFire Island DestinationsBelford, NJHHAtlanticHighlands, NJHHighlands, NJLower ManhattanPort ImperialFerry TerminalNEW JERSEYLincoln Harbor,WeehawkenHHoboken at14th StreetHHHPier 79, West 39th StreetEast 34th StreetHRooseveltIsland TramHQUEENSHunters PointHoboken, SouthHH<strong>New</strong>port, Jersey CityMANHATTANPaulus HookHLibertyHarbor MarinaHHWorld FinancialCenterHHHHFulton Street LandingSchaefer LandingPier 17, South Street SeaportPier 11, Wall StreetWhitehall TerminalKINGS / BROOKLYNHIKEA LandingStaten Island Ferry<strong>The</strong> <strong>Transportation</strong> <strong>System</strong> 3-23
<strong>Chapter</strong> 3ly every 30 minutes between the hoursof 6:40am and 7:50pm. In the first fourmonths of operation, weekend ridershipwas six times higher than the cityprojected, and average weekday ridershipwas about twice as high as expected.Though Ferry ridership declined slightlyduring the winter months, the numberof riders continued to be higher than expected.77<strong>The</strong>re are a number of tourist ferries inthe <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong> City area. <strong>The</strong> Circle Lineis one of the oldest and largest tour companiesto offer sightseeing cruises. <strong>The</strong>yoffer 3-hour and 2-hour cruises as well asshorter ones around the city. <strong>The</strong> <strong>New</strong><strong>York</strong> Water Taxi has been a <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong>fixture since 2002, beginning with afleet of five distinctive black and yellowcheckered vessels. Some of the tours thatthey have provided are hop-on/hop offservice to many attractions for the priceof one pass. <strong>The</strong>y also provide service tothe Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, andIKEA in Red Hook, Brooklyn. StatueCruises is the concessioner authorized bythe National Park Service, Departmentof the Interior, to serve the public at theStatue of Liberty National Monumentand Ellis Island. In addition, while theStaten Island Ferry is a passenger serviceferry operated by NYCDOT, the 5-mile,25-minute ride serves as a free sightseeingvehicle. However, it is not possibleto know what percent of its users aretourists.Ferries usually operate to Mets and Yankeesbaseball games during the season,but this service tends to fluctuate bythe season and operator. Seastreak offersticket packages as well as boat onlyseating to both Yankee Stadium and CitiField for weekend home games fromApril to September. Also, Seastreak hasbegun offering summertime service fromLower Manhattan and Midtown to Martha’sVineyard, MA. 78On the West Side of Manhattan, a newferry terminal was incorporated intothe World Financial Center in March2009. 79 <strong>The</strong> new terminal can accommodatefive ferryboats allowing multiplevessels to come and go simultaneously.<strong>The</strong> new facility is expected to boostridership to and from Downtown Manhattan,with its passenger amenities andincreased space. 80<strong>The</strong> recent and ongoing financial downturnhas caused ferry companies to reevaluatetheir services. SeaStreak, one ofthe major companies ferrying customersbetween Monmouth County and Manhattan,was bought several years ago bya <strong>New</strong> England company after its originalowners filed for bankruptcy. 81 Afterthe sale, fares were increased for the service.82 Around the same time, NY WaterTaxibought Circle Line Downtown, alarge tourist ferry, expanding its servicesbeyond just daily commuters, and hassince removed itself from the commutermarket. 83 Between 2008 and 2010, <strong>New</strong><strong>York</strong> Water Taxi ran a ferry service ranbetween the Rockaways and Lower Manhattan.However, after a governmentsubsidy ended, the service ceased running.84 In November 2012, NYCEDCand Seastreak relaunched a temporaryferry to the Rockaways in the aftermathof Hurricane Sandy. 85 <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong> WaterTaxi service between Yonkers and LowerManhattan also ceased at the end of2009 after funding from a Lower ManhattanDevelopment Corporation grantended. 86South Amboy, in Middlesex County, NJ,is also working to bring a ferry serviceto Lower Manhattan. 87 NY Waterwayincreased service between Jersey Cityand <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong>’s World Financial Centerin November 2009. 88 In March 2011NYCEDC released its ComprehensiveCitywide Ferry Study, which examined,inventoried and prioritized over 40 sitescitywide and discussed potential servicecorridors.On Long Island, numerous improvementshave occurred recently. A newterminal is under construction in GlenCove, which could house a possible ferryservice to Manhattan. 89 In Patchogue,a new terminal welcomed its first passengersin April 2010, providing ferriesto Fire Island. 90 Improvements will bemade at the Bay Shore Terminal, whilethe Ocean Beach Terminal on Fire Islandwill be completely replaced. 91Ferry service also operates between OrientPoint, on Long Island’s North Fork,and <strong>New</strong> London, CT. <strong>The</strong> ferry servicebetween Port Jefferson on Long Islandand Bridgeport, CT became the first inthe nation to hire a fully-trained K-9team for heightened security. 92 OtherLong Island ferries connect Shelter Islandwith Greenport and North Island,and (seasonally) Montauk with BlockIsland, RI, <strong>New</strong> London, CT and MarthasVineyard, MA. An additional ferryserves Fishers Island, NY from <strong>New</strong> London,CT. 93In Rockland County, the ferry connectingHaverstraw to Ossining’s Metro-North railroad station has seen increasedridership since its introduction in 2001.This service is operated by NY Waterwayfor Metro-North Railroad, and allowsthe distance from Haverstraw to GrandCentral Terminal to be covered in approximately70 minutes. On weekdays,there are fourteen trips leaving Haverstrawand 15 leaving Ossining. A monthlyUniticket (Metro-North and the ferry)costs $328. Haverstraw Ferry Terminalhas free parking for up to 300 vehicles. 94ROOSEVELT ISLANDTRAMSupplementing the Roosevelt Island subwaystation is the Roosevelt Island aerialtram, which operates between the islandand a station located at East 59 th Streetand 2 nd Avenue on Manhattan. Originallyopened in 1976 as a compromisefor islanders waiting for the subway stationto be built, the tram, operated bythe state-run Roosevelt Island Operating3-24 Plan 2040: NYMTC Regional <strong>Transportation</strong> Plan
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