April 17, By Hannah Wulkan
The new Citywide Ferry boats will begin sailing in and out of a new Long Island City dock in August.
Mayor Bill de Blasio welcomed the first three of 20 new ferryboats at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park earlier today, and announced the schedules and timetables for the launch of the new ferry system this summer.
The Citywide Ferry system will add five new routes on the East River by the summer of 2018, including a new Astoria route that will stop in Hallets Cove and Long Island City (at the northern tip of Gantry Plaza State Park), and will begin service in August.
“After months of construction and weeks of travel, the new NYC Ferry boats are officially here in the five boroughs. And in just two weeks’ time, New Yorkers will be able to ride these brand new boats themselves – to work, to school, or to explore all the incredible things our waterfront has to offer,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO James Patchett.
The first new route will launch on May 1, joining the existing East River route (which incorporates Hunters Point South Park), and will run between the Rockaways and Wall Street.
Two other routes will launch later in the summer, including a South Brooklyn route in June and the Astoria route in August.
Existing East River route
De Blasio said that the new ferry service represents “greater opportunity for every New Yorker, from the Rockaways to the Bronx, and at just $2.75 a ride.”
The new Astoria route will connect the new dock in Hallets Cove to Roosevelt Island, to Long Island City, to East 34th Street, and will end at Wall Street, with a ride totaling about 38 minutes from start to end.
De Blasio also released the timetables for the new routes, which show that Astoria ferry service will begin with the first ferry leaving at 6:30 a.m. every day, and the final ferry arriving back to Astoria at 9:47 p.m. on weekdays, and 10:28 p.m. on weekends. The ferries will run every 20 minutes during peak hours, and every 30 to 45 minutes during less popular times.
According to the current timetable, the new system will run 30 ferries from Astoria every weekday and 23 ferries from Astoria every weekend.
Each new ferry boat will carry 150 people at a time and will have free Wi-Fi, bike racks, temperature control and a snack bar on board, and a single ride will cost $2.75, with both paper and smartphone tickets available for purchase.
The city also plans to add a Lower East Side route and a Soundview route servicing the Bronx in the Summer 2018.
Click for the Astoria Ferry Service Schedule.
New Astoria route
