What's New
Newly launched NYC Ferry
route takes riders from LIC to LES
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The final New York City Ferry Service
route of 2018 launched on Aug. 29 with
the promise of bringing riders from Long
Island City to the Lower East Side in
just 32 minutes.
Hornblower, which operates the
ferry service, partnered with Mayor Bill
de Blasio and the NYCEDC to launch
the LIC route that will serve an esti-mated
1 million riders annually. Earlier
in August, Hornblower launched the
Soundview ferry route, which makes
stops in the Bronx and the Upper East
Side and serves approximately 4,000
riders a day. It is projected that the
Soundview route will serve 400,000
commuters a year.
On the newest ferry route, commuters
start their ride in LIC and can travel to four
stops along the East River for the same
cost as a Metro Card. Ferries run every
25 minutes during peak hours and makes
stops at East 34th Street, Stuyvesant
Cove, Corlears Hook and Pier 11/Wall
Street. Free transfers to other ferry routes
are available at the East 34th Street and
Pier 11/Wall Street terminals and a de-tailed
timetable of all ferry routes can be
found at ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules.
“It’s official – the initial six routes
of NYC Ferry system are now up and
running,” said de Blasio. “NYC Ferries
have turned the East River, which once
divided New Yorkers, into a point of
connection – and are helping us build
a fairer city for all. With the launch of
12 SEPTEMBER 2018 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
the Lower East Side route and the con-necting
NYC Ferry lines, residents of
this historic neighborhood now have
greater access to the rest of our city.”
Since the NYC Ferry Service’s May
2017 launch, it has served over 6 mil-lion
riders across the Astoria, East
River, South Brooklyn, Rockaway and
Soundview routes. The ferry service
reported that it recently surpassed 3
million riders in the 2018 calendar year.
Additionally, the ferry service has been
able to connect communities with fewer
transportation options to one another, as
well as making commute times shorter.
“Today’s historic launch delivers on
our promise to make New York a fairer,
more connected city for everyone,” said
NYCEDC President and CEO James
Patchett. “The Lower East Side route
is the last NYC Ferry line to launch in
2018, and the start of shorter com-mutes
and more opportunities for New
Yorkers across the city. We are proud
to have delivered a transit system to
dozens of communities that have long
been underserved, and look forward to
exploring ways to expand the network.”
In July the Ocean Queen Rockstar,
the first of the NYC Ferry’s six 350-pas-senger
vessels, joined the team to ac-commodate
for high ridership demand.
A second vessel called Seas the Day
is currently in service and four more
350-passenger vessels are slated to
arrive for peak season in 2019.
For more information on the new and
existing routes, visit ferry.nyc.
in 30 minutes
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
/www.qns.com
