Scope out city's new ferry system, in miniature form, before its summer launch

Before you decide to take a ride on the Citywide Ferry when it gets underway this summer, you can get a sense of what one of the fleet’s 19 boats will look like at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Partnering with Borough President Eric Adams’ office, the city’s Economic Development Corporation has placed a scale model of one of the vessels in the lobby of the building.

The model provides a look at some of the features commuters will be able to avail of in just a few months. The boats are all designed with aluminum, which is considered safer and more fuel efficient. Each of the ferries will be able to accommodate 150 people and will be ADA compliant. The boats measure 85-feet long, are equipped with Wi-Fi throughout, and will have heated decks during the winters.

Construction on the vessels has been ongoing since September 2016, and just last week construction got underway on the first ferry landing in the Rockaways at Beach 108th Street.

Courtesy of NYCEDC

The ferry is expected to get underway sometime in June this year, and once it’s up and running will provide service to the Rockaways, South Brooklyn, and Astoria, and will also merge with the existing East River Ferry. Routes to Soundview in the Bronx and the Lower East Side will get started next year, and tickets cost the same as a single ride on the subway.

• NYC’s first citywide ferry system is officially under construction [Curbed]
• Planned Citywide Ferry Could Be In Service By June 2017 [Curbed]
• Get a glimpse of the vessels being constructed for forthcoming citywide ferry system [Curbed]