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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 13 June 2017

For stymied commuters to NYC, ferries could be the next wave

By DAVID PORTER boroughs and suburbs by ington. The second forced Hoboken to lower Manhat- it’s every 15 minutes, and
Associated Press bridges and tunnels — has local rail lines to drastically tan during the summer’s you don’t have service dis-
HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP) — The already been expanded cut back service, leaving rail disruption, company ruptions like PATH has,” said
easiest way to commute for commuters inside New angry commuters accus- Chairman Armand Pohan Joe Raconiello, who com-
into New York City ex- York City. Last month, May- tomed to regular 15- to told lawmakers last month. mutes from northern New
changes asphalt and steel Jersey via NJ Transit into
rails for a whiff of salt water Hoboken and then boards
and a soaring view of the a ferry. “It’s also more re-
Manhattan skyline, all in laxing, and you always
less time than it takes to fin- get a seat.”Dave Berge,
ish a cup of joe. a resident of New York’s
It’s also the most under- Rockland County, on New
used, primarily due to lo- Jersey’s northern border,
gistics and cost. That could straddles both transporta-
change, though, begin- tion modes. He takes the
ning this summer when ferry from Hoboken in the
ferries will act as a safety morning but the train at
valve for New Jersey rail night.
commuters because of dis- “This is peace of mind,”
ruptions caused by major Berge said, gesturing on a
repair work at New York’s recent Friday toward the
Penn Station. glittering skyline from the
In the long term, while the rear deck of a New York
New York region’s tunnels, Waterway. “It’s an indul-
bridges and railways burst gence, but I don’t mind
at the seams with no relief paying more.”
in sight for a decade at As a private company,
best, ferries may be the fi- In this April 4, 2017, photo, commuters in Hoboken, N.J., board a ferry bound for lower Manhat- New York Waterway can’t
nal frontier for commuters tan. While the New York region’s tunnels, bridges and railways burst at the seams, ferries may be compete pricewise with NJ
sick of clogged roads and the answer for commuters sick of clogged roads and an unreliable rail system. For now, price is a Transit, which is subsidized
a notoriously unreliable barrier. New York Waterway could accommodate thousands more commuters from New Jersey. by the state, or with PATH,
and aging rail system. But it doesn’t receive state or federal subsidies and so has to charge more than buses or trains. which loses money but is
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
On the New Jersey side, subsidized by the Port Au-
where a new governor will or Bill de Blasio launched 30-minute delays facing Tens of thousands more thority’s moneymaking as-
succeed outgoing Repub- service that will eventually double or triple that. could be accommodated sets like airports, bridges
lican Chris Christie in Janu- offer six routes between Meanwhile, not far from in the future if the compa- and tunnels.
ary, change may be in the Manhattan and the other where thousands of cars ny adds boats and builds The ferries’ cost “is the age-
winds. boroughs. jockey to fit into three lanes another terminal, compa- old question, and we’ve
“Should the state, particu- City transportation officials of the Lincoln Tunnel each ny founder Arthur Impera- faced from the first time
larly a new administration, say the new ferry fleet will morning, ferries crisscross tore said. we ran a boat,” Impera-
take a fresh look at how speed up travel time by the Hudson with dozens of But New York Waterway tore said.
we deal with expanding as much as two-thirds, al- empty seats. ferry service costs three or A new terminal and ad-
demand to get across though plans to spend Only about 2 percent of more times the PATH trains ditional boats would cost
Hudson?” said state Sen. $180 million over six years the more than 1.4 million operated by the Port Au- roughly $300 million — a
Robert Gordon, vice-chair subsidizing fares to keep people who commute into thority of New York and lot, but a fraction of the
of a state transportation them the same as a sub- Manhattan on weekdays New Jersey, while New cost of a new rail tunnel or
committee. “Maybe this is way ride could be difficult take ferries, according to a Jersey transit offers com- new Manhattan bus termi-
the time to think about a to sustain. 2015 study by the New York muter rail service directly nal, estimated at $10 billion
whole new approach to This spring, two derailments Metropolitan Transporta- into New York from points each. Interstate political
ferries.” at Penn Station, both at tion Council that was fund- throughout New Jersey squabbling and uncertain-
Ferry service — historically very low speed and nei- ed by the U.S. Department with discounts for monthly ty over federal funding has
the main mode of trans- ther involving serious inju- of Transportation. passes. made it doubtful either of
portation for commut- ries, sent delays rippling up New York Waterway can For some, the reliability is those projects will be com-
ers to Manhattan island, and down the corridor be- carry about 9,000 more worth the extra cost. pleted within the next 10
now connected to other tween Boston and Wash- people on its lines from “This is more predictable; years.q