City expands capacity of new ferryboats in anticipation of L-Train shutdown

September 21, 2018 By Raanan Geberer Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The NYC Ferry near the shoreline of Sunset Park. Eagle file photo by Lore Croghan

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In anticipation of the coming 15-month L-train shutdown, transit officials are expanding the capacity of ferryboats so they will be able to handle more passengers. One of the transit alternatives during the shutdown is a new ferry route between Williamsburg and Stuyvesant Cove in Manhattan, according to Curbed.

The route will be run directly by MTA and not by Hornblower, which operates the NYC Ferry System, Curbed reported. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Greenpoint-Astoria-Manhattan) says officials are working with contractors to add capacity to the ferryboats — which now can carry up to 149 passengers — so they can accommodate as many as 240 people. In addition, MTA now plans to deploy three ferryboats per hour on the new route rather than the previously planned two, Curbed reported.