News Bay Ridge

Ferry good news for Bay Ridge, Coney Island; nabes to get dedicated Manhattan-bound ferry

January 10, 2019 Helen Klein Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Ridgeites can look forward to express ferry service to Wall Street from the 69th Street Pier, with the announcement by the mayor of a new route from Coney Island to Manhattan via Bay Ridge. Eagle file photo.
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Residents of Coney Island and Bay Ridge have reason to celebrate this morning, with the news, delivered by Mayor Bill de Blasio in his State of the City address, that a new Coney Island to Wall Street ferry, stopping at the 69th Street Pier then heading right across the water to Manhattan, is being added to the city’s roster of waterborne transportation options.

The express service between Bay Ridge and Wall Street should take about 20 minutes, according to Councilmember Justin Brannan who has been advocating for express service from Bay Ridge. And the addition of the People’s Playground to the ferry service is also reason for applause; advocates in that neighborhood had long been pressing for a waterborne alternative to lengthy subway commutes.

The service is operated under the auspices of the city’s Economic Development Corporation.

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Because infrastructure needs to be built in Coney Island to accommodate the ferry service, Brannan said that the new route will likely be operational “sometime before 2021.”

“So many people fought so hard to bring the ferry back to 69th Street – and we made it happen,” Brannan told the Brooklyn Eagle. “But the big dream has always been to get an express ferry direct to Wall Street. And now the day has finally come! This will be an absolute game-changer for our neighborhood. With the new Coney Island line, you’ll be able to get from Bay Ridge to Wall Street in under 20 minutes. I’m so happy I could cry.”

The current scheduled time for the Bay Ridge to Wall Street trip is 43 minutes, with stops at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, Red Hook, Atlantic Avenue and DUMBO.

Besides the new Coney Island to Wall Street route, the city will expand service from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan and the West Side. It will also add a new stop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and a new landing at Ferry Point in the Bronx, where access to the Ferry Point Park landing within the park will be enhanced, and the parking lot improved.

Citywide ferry service was announced in 2016; the route that included a stop at 69th Street set sail in spring of 2017.

The State of the City address was delivered at Manhattan’s Symphony Space.


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7 Comments

  2. MJ Bay Ridge

    still no Bay Ridge – Staten Island route. The new Wall Street – Coney Island route is a mixed blessing given that in the summer the beach boat is often at full capacity, limiting passenger boarding for the middle stop passengers for Bay Ridge. The Rockaway route often have to reject passengers boarding in Sunset Park BAT due to capacity issue, so expect the same thing at Bay Ridge.

    January 10, 2019 at 5:59 pm
    Reply
  3. MJ Bay Ridge

    The new South Brooklyn route means Bay Ridge will no longer accessible to Rockaway via Sunset Park BAT. One must either drive to Sunset Park BAT or go to Manhattan for the Rockaway ferry

    January 12, 2019 at 11:50 am
    Reply
  4. MJ Bay Ridge

    The new South Brooklyn route means Bay Ridge is no longer accessible to Rockaway via Sunset Park BAT. Therefore, one must drive to Sunset Park BAT or ferry to Manhattan to change for Rockaway boat

    January 12, 2019 at 11:51 am
    Reply
  5. MJ Bay Ridge

    Another concern is the Coney Island Route’s ferry frequency. The South Brooklyn route leaves Bay Ridge every 20-30 minutes in the non-winter months. If the Coney Island route is modeled after the Rockaway route’s 1 hour per ferry (with a stop at Sunset Park BAT), then the reduced ferry frequency will cancel out the direct Bay Ridge-Wall Street time saving.

    January 12, 2019 at 12:35 pm
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