In the immediate aftermath of the attack, private ferries operating across the Hudson River provided emergency evacuation from lower Manhattan and, before rail and bus service resumed that evening, were one of the few means home to New Jersey for stranded commuters. As Wall Street area businesses re-opened last week, New York City and New Jersey transportation agencies and commuters have looked to ferries to fill PATH service gaps and as an alternative to car commuting.

Daily ridership on NY Waterway, the largest cross-Hudson carrier, increased last week by more than 50%, from 34,000 passengers to over 50,000. The company's re-routed downtown service between Hoboken and Pier 11 operated at 100% capacity during the morning and evening rush hours, while normal service to and from Weehawken and northern Hoboken and Pier 78 in Midtown was also crowded. Private operators between Monmouth County, NJ and lower Manhattan also saw substantial increases in passengers, according to the Star Ledger. NJTransit will begin offering ferry service Monday operated by Liberty Water Taxi between Liberty State Park and Pier 11 to the 5,500 riders of private and NJTransit express buses that previously ran through the Holland Tunnel. No commuters arriving by private car will be allowed to board.

For Brooklyn commuters, a free ferry service offered by the NYC Department of Transportation between 58th Street in Bay Ridge to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal during the morning and evening rush hours served over 1,000 commuters daily last week. For Manhattan commuters, NY Waterway will begin service Monday up and down the East River with stops at 90th St., 34th St. and Pier 11.

Cross-Hudson and East River ferries will surely continue to be a backbone of transit commuting to and from lower Manhattan for coming years while rail connections are reconstructed. A focus on bolstering and expanding ferry transport would also help ease crowding on New Jersey Transit commuter rail into Manhattan. NJ Transit trains were crowded prior to the catastrophe, but some are now beginning to resemble "#6 train conditions," in the words of one commuter.

The redesign of NYC Penn Station platforms needed to allow NJTransit to add rail cars to existing trains and the long-desired second Hudson River tunnel that would allow the agency to offer additional train service are unlikely to be completed in less than a decade.

In the Works: More Ferries, Better Access - April 7, 2000
 

New Ferries for LI, NJ Commuters to NYC - April 2, 2001
 

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