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NY Waterway
LocaleNew Jersey
New York
WaterwayHudson River
East River
New York Bay
Transit typePassenger ferry
Excursions
Sightseeing
OwnerArthur Imperatore
OperatorNY Waterway
Began operationDecember 3, 1986
No. of lines26
No. of vessels34
No. of terminals17
Daily ridershipApprox. 30,000[1]
Websitehttp://www.nywaterway.com/
Weehawken headquarters and terminal

NY Waterway, or New York Waterway, is a private transportation company running ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley. While operations and much marketing come under the NY Waterway logo, the company works with other private companies and in public-private partnership with agencies such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey Transit, New York City Department of Transportation, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority, to provide service and maintain docking facilities.[2]

NY Waterway uses ferry slips at four terminals in Manhattan as well as terminals and slips in Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Edgewater, all located along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. Commuter peak service is also provided on the Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry, Newburgh–Beacon Ferry, and to the Raritan Bayshore. Excursions and sightseeing trips[3] include those to Yankee Stadium,[4] Gateway National Recreation Area, and Governors Island.

Future service is planned from Port Imperial and Hoboken to Pier 57, "Super Pier" located in the Chelsea district of Manhattan.

History

Founding and early years

In 1981 Arthur Edward Imperatore, Sr., a trucking magnate, purchased a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) length of the Weehawken, New Jersey waterfront, where the company is based,[5] from the bankrupt Penn Central for $7.5 million, with the plan to redevelop the brownfield site as had others along the west bank of the Hudson River waterfront and to restore ferry service to it. In 1986 he established New York Waterway,[1] with a route across the river between Weehawken Port Imperial and Pier 78 on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan. Three years later, it began operation between Hoboken Terminal and Battery Park City.[6][7]

During the course of the next decade numerous routes across the Hudson were added.[8] NY Waterway briefly also operated a high-speed ferry from Staten Island to East 34th Street in 1998,[9] but discontinued it due to low ridership. This marked the first time that NY Waterway discontinued a route.[10]

Expansion and near bankruptcy

The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center destroyed the PATH terminal located there, greatly reducing cross-Hudson River passenger capacity. The company was well-positioned to take advantage of government investment in ferry service, receiving subsidies and generous agreements to docking at public facilities.[11][12]

NY Waterway service quickly expanded by adding new routes and increasing the frequency of crossings. It borrowed heavily to fund the acquisition of additional vessels. After PATH service was restored ridership significantly declined, the loss of passengers bringing the company, unable to reduce its fixed costs, to brink of bankruptcy. By December 2004, there was deep concern that there would be a total shutdown of ferry service, disrupting the commutes of 30,000 daily riders.[13] The Port Authority, as well as city and state agencies had already contracted the construction of new ferry terminals to be leased to private operators. The shutdown was averted when the new BillyBey Ferry Company LLC which had never before operated ferry services, founded by Manhattan lawyer William B. Wachtel, agreed to take over almost half of NY Waterway's equipment and routes. Other ferry and sightseeing boat operators were displeased that the Port Authority approved the transfer without a transparent bidding process.[14]

In 2009, the fleet included 33 boats, 15 of which are operated by the company for its associate Billybey Ferry.[15]

East River Ferry

In February 2011, NY Waterway was contracted to operate a route calling at slips in Brooklyn and Queens as well as the East River terminals.[16] In June 2011, the NY Waterway-operated East River Ferry line started operations.[17][18] The route was a 7-stop East River service that ran in a loop between East 34th Street and Hunters Point, making two intermediate stops in Brooklyn and three in Queens. The ferry, an alternative to the New York City Subway, cost $2.75 per one-way ticket[19].

Subsidized by the City of New York, the service was originally intended for commuters, but after a few months became popular with weekend users and tourists.[20] It was used by two to six times the number of passengers that the city predicted would ride the ferries. From June to November 2011, the ferry accommodated 2,862 riders on an average weekday, as opposed to a projection of 1,488 riders, and it had 4,500 riders on an average weekend, six times the city's projected ridership; in total, the ferry saw 350,000 riders in that period, over 250% of the initial ridership forecast of 134,000 riders.[21] The route was merged into NYC Ferry on May 1, 2017, coming under the operation of Hornblower Cruises.[22][23]

Rescue operations

Coming to the aid of downed Flight 1549

NY Waterway has played a role in a number of rescue and emergency operations.[24] In the immediate after effects of September 11, 2001 attacks, the company was instrumental in the evacuation of passengers who otherwise would have been stranded[25] in Manhattan due to the chaos created in the mass transit system. The ferry service also brought people across the river during Northeast Blackout of 2003 when service on New Jersey Transit and Port Authority Trans-Hudson trains could not operate. During the 2005 New York City transit strike it provided alternative transportation.

In 2009, the company was instrumental in the rescue of passengers of US Airways Flight 1549, which made an emergency landing on the Hudson River.[26] The firm gained media attention both for its efforts to rescue passengers from airplane and for its hiring of 20-year-old Brittany Catanzaro as captain. Thanks in a large part to the successful efforts of Captains Vincent Lombardi and Catanzaro, together with their crews, all aboard were rescued.

On April 6, 2012, a NY Waterway ferry rescued the crew of the Katherine G, a tugboat that capsized near Liberty Island.[27] The ferry's captain, Mohamed Gouda, had also commanded one of the ferries that participated in the flight 1549 rescue.

NY Waterway – fare sharing

In June 2012, New Jersey Transit and NY Waterway began a fare-sharing program for riders transferring between the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and ferries at Port Imperial for ten-trip and monthly tickets.[28] in a program called Surf and Turf[29] In May 2013 NY Waterway initiated afternoon bus service along the NJT bus routes 158, and 159R, which travel north to Fort Lee, and 156R, with continuing service to Englewood Cliffs.[30][31] Passengers who purchase a 10-trip or a Monthly Joint Bus-Ferry pass take the bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal during mornings and travel by ferry in the evening.[32] In December 2014 it was announced that NJT will buy ten buses for NY Waterway's use on its Manhattan bus routes.[32] In January 2016, NY Waterway and NJT introduced the Hudson GoPass, allowing for unlimited use on light rail, ferry and bus routes 156, 158, 159.[33] NJ Transit has also provided funding for boat maintenance and bus purchases.[34]

In August 2018 Bieber Transportation Group began service from Reading, Kutztown, Wescosville, and Hellertown in Pennsylvania to Weehawken Port Imperial, with combined bus/ferry fares.[35]

Terminals and routes

West Midtown Ferry Terminal

West Midtown Ferry Terminal
Edgewater Landing
Hoboken Terminal
Route Transfers
West Midtown Ferry Terminal[36]
West Side Highway at West 39th Street
Hudson River Park-Midtown Manhattan 		NY Waterway buses[37][38]
New York City Transit buses
M42 and M50
To Notes
Edgewater Landing

[39]
Edgewater-Fort Lee

peak service New Jersey Transit buses
NY Waterway buses
Weehawken Port Imperial[36]
Weehawken 		full service Hudson Bergen Light Rail
New Jersey Transit
NY Waterway buses
Lincoln Harbor

[40]
Weehawken

residents and guests only
14th Street[40]
Hoboken 		via Lincoln Harbor off-peak New Jersey Transit bus
Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal[41]
Jersey City 		peak service PATH
Hudson Bergen Light Rail
New Jersey Transit bus
New York Waterway shuttle
Belford Harbor[42]
Raritan Bayshore, Monmouth County 		limited peak service via The Narrows & Upper Bay

Battery Park City Ferry Terminal at the World Financial Center

Battery Park City Ferry Terminal (at left) is moored in the Hudson River just north of World Financial Center North Cove
Ferries at Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal, Exchange Place
Route Transfers
Battery Park City Ferry Terminal[43][44][45][46][47]
at World Financial Center
[48]
Hudson River Park at Vesey Street
Battery Park City, Manhattan 		Liberty Water Taxi
SeaStreak[49]
To Notes
Weehawken Port Imperial[50]
Weehawken 		full service Hudson Bergen Light Rail
New Jersey Transit bus
NY Waterway buses
14th Street
[51]
Hoboken 		peak service New Jersey Transit bus
Hoboken Terminal[52]
Hoboken 		full service Port Authority Trans Hudson
Hudson Bergen Light Rail
NJT & MTA rail
Hudson Place bus terminal
Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal[53]
Exchange Place, Paulus Hook, Jersey City 		peak service PATH
Hudson Bergen Light Rail
New Jersey Transit bus
New York Waterway shuttle
Liberty Harbor[54]
Marin Boulevard, Paulus Hook, Jersey City 		full service Hudson Bergen Light Rail
Belford Harbor[55]
Raritan Bayshore, Monmouth County 		peak service via The Narrows & Upper Bay

Pier 11 at Wall Street

At Pier 11 on East River
Route Transfers
Pier 11 at Wall Street[56]
40°42′13″N 74°00′24″W / 40.703611°N 74.006661°W / 40.703611; -74.006661
South Street at Gouverneur Lane 		SeaStreak
New York Beach Ferry
To Notes
Weehawken Port Imperial[57]
Weehawken 		Hudson Bergen Light Rail
New Jersey Transit
NY Waterway buses
Hoboken Terminal[40]
Hoboken 		New Jersey Transit bus
Hudson Bergen Light Rail
NJT & MTA Rail
Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal[41]
Jersey City 		weekday service PATH Exchange Place
Hudson Bergen Light Rail
New Jersey Transit bus
NY Waterway shuttle
Port Liberte[58]
Jersey City 		AM peak & aft/eve service New Jersey Transit bus
Belford Harbor[42]
Raritan Bayshore, Monmouth County 		peak service via The Narrows & Upper Bay

Raritan Bayshore route

Crossing the Upper Bay
Route Notes
Belford Harbor[59]
Raritan Bayshore -Middletown-Monmuth County 		limited peak service
via The Narrows & Upper Bay calling at Wall Street, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, & Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal
-
West Midtown Ferry Terminal[60]

Upstream Hudson routes

Ferry approaching Beacon ferry slip
Route Transfer
Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry
peak service 		Metro-North Railroad-Hudson Line
Bee-Line Bus System
Newburgh–Beacon Ferry
peak service 		Metro-North Railroad-Hudson Line
Dutchess County LOOP

Bus routes in Manhattan

Three NY Waterway buses at the West Midtown Ferry Terminal

NY Waterway operates connecting bus service for ferry passengers on different routes in Manhattan.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Carroll, Timothy J. (October 11, 2009). "20 Years Crossing the Hudson". Jersey City Reporter. Hoboken: Hudson Reporter. pp. 7 & 16. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  2. ^ Dunlap, David W. (April 7, 2002). "Launching a Flotilla of Ferry Terminals". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  3. ^ "Your Key to the City". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  4. ^ Maurer, Mark (October 6, 2010). "NY Waterway's Yankee Clipper offers 'Sailgate' cruises to all Yankees post-season home games". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  5. ^ "Nancy Rieger and Armand Pohan". The New York Times. May 20, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  6. ^ "Battery Park City Ferry Terminal". McLaren Engineering Group. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  7. ^ Uhlig, Mark A. (May 5, 1988). "Site in Manhattan is Chosen for New Ferry Terminal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  8. ^ Bagli, Charles V.; Flynn, Kevin (July 22, 2003). "A Fleet and How It Grew; Ferry Operator's Dominance Draws Rivals' Anger". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  9. ^ Newman, Andy (1997-12-30). "Another Ferry Service to Take Over Staten Island Route". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  10. ^ Pristin, Terry (1998-07-07). "Speedy Ferry Service Between Staten Island and West 38th St. Is Ending". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  11. ^ Bagli, Charles V.; Flynn, Kevin (July 22, 2003). "A Fleet and How It Grew; Ferry Operator's Dominance Draws Rivals' Anger". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  12. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (June 25, 2003). "City Lost Money From Ferry Operators' Fees, the Comptroller Finds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  13. ^ Golway, Terry (December 19, 2004). "Transportation; Mutiny on the Hudson". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  14. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (February 15, 2005). "Port Authority Picks Lawyer To Run Ferries on Hudson". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  15. ^ Moses, Clare (November 18, 2009). "New ferry route from Liberty Harbor to Lower Manhattan". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  16. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (February 1, 2011). "Ferries to Ply East River Far More Regularly Soon". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  17. ^ Clark, Roger (June 1, 2011). "East River Ferry Service To Make A Splash". NY1. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M.; Quinlan, Adriane (June 13, 2011). "East River Ferry Service Begins". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  19. ^ "NYC Ferry Ticketing Information & Fares". New York City Ferry Service. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  20. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (October 16, 2011), "Though Others Failed, New East River Ferries Are a Hit", The New York Times, retrieved 2011-10-22
  21. ^ Mcgeehan, Patrick (October 16, 2011). "East River Ferry Service Exceeds Expectations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  22. ^ "NYC launches ferry service with Queens, East River routes". NY Daily News. Associated Press. 2017-05-01. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2017-05-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Levine, Alexandra S.; Wolfe, Jonathan (2017-05-01). "New York Today: Our City's New Ferry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  24. ^ "Video: NY Waterway ferry boat captain recalls the 9/11 attacks as viewed on the Hudson River". NJ.com. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  25. ^ Rife, Judy (October 12, 2005). "Newburgh-Beacon Ferry Crew Set to Go". Times Herald-Record. Middletown. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  26. ^ Applebome, Peter (January 17, 2009). "A Small Town's Recurring Role as a Rescue Beacon". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  27. ^ "Tugboat Capsizes Near Liberty Island; 3 People Rescued". CBS News. 2012-04-06. Archived from the original on 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2012-04-09. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "NJ TRANSIT & NY WATERWAY JOINT "DISCOUNTED" TICKET". The Star-Ledger. NY Waterway. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  29. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (May 31, 2012). "NJ Transit, NY Waterway collaborate for cheaper 'Surf and Turf' pass". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  30. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (May 24, 2013). "Ferry commute sidesteps cramped Lincoln Tunnel, Port Authority Bus Terminal". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  31. ^ '"Try Cruising Home Tonight" (Press release). New Jersey Transit. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  32. ^ a b Vena, Joseph R. (September 16, 2013). "NY Waterway Bus-Ferry Travel Option expansion offers commuters faster ride home". The Jersey JOurnal. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
  33. ^ "Hudson Go Pass". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  34. ^ CHRISTOPHER MAAG. "NJ Transit gets $6M for improvements to ferry boats". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  35. ^ "Daily Bus Service to New York City, NY". Bieber Transportation Group. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  36. ^ a b "Midtown / W. 39th St". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  37. ^ NY Waterway Peak Manhattan bus map
  38. ^ NY Waterway Off-peak Manhattan bus routes
  39. ^ "Edgewater Ferry Landing". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  40. ^ a b c "Lincoln Harbor / Weehawken". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  41. ^ a b "Paulus Hook". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  42. ^ a b Pier 11-Belford schedule
  43. ^ "New State-of-the-Art Ferry Terminal to Open in Battery Park City on Wednesday, March 18" (Press release). Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. March 17, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  44. ^ Ohrstrom, Lysandra (June 6, 2008). "Bigger, Better Battery Park Ferry Terminal Finally Arriving". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ "Battery Park City Ferry Terminal Project Gallery". Birdair. Archived from the original on 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2010-05-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  46. ^ "Battery Park City Ferry Terminal – International Achievement Awards". IFIA Publications. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ Dunlap, David W. (March 17, 2009). "Downtown Gets a New Ferry Terminal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  48. ^ "To Manhattan World Financial Center From:". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  49. ^ "Seastreak". Seastreak. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  50. ^ "Port Imperial / Weehawken". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  51. ^ "Hoboken 14th St". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  52. ^ "Hoboken / NJ Transit Terminal". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  53. ^ "Paulus Hook". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  54. ^ "Liberty Harbor / Marin Blvd". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  55. ^ BPC/WFC-Belford schedule
  56. ^ "To Manhattan Pier 11 / Wall St. From:". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  57. ^ Pier 111 to Weehawken Port Imperial
  58. ^ "Port Liberte". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  59. ^ Belford Harbor routes
  60. ^ WMFT-Belford schedule

Media related to NY Waterway at Wikimedia Commons

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