Press Release Article

PORT AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES PILOT PROGRAM FOR SIX WEEKENDS OF FERRY SERVICE BETWEEN JERSEY CITY AND LOWER MANHATTAN TO GAUGE RIDERSHIP USAGE DURING CLOSURES OF WTC AND EXCHANGE PLACE PATH STATIONS

Date: Mar 25, 2014

Press Release Number: 63-2014

Pilot route will serve as alternative means of transport across Hudson River



The Port Authority will initiate a six-weekend pilot ferry service between the Paulus Hook Terminal in Jersey City and the World Financial Center Ferry Terminal in New York, starting March 29-30 for weekend riders who would normally use PATH between New Jersey and Lower Manhattan.



BillyBey Ferry Company, operating under the NY Waterway banner, will provide the service under contract with the Port Authority, with the service automatically ending the weekend of May 3-4 unless the Port Authority decides there is sufficient ridership to continue.



The fare will be $2.50 one-way, or $5.00 roundtrip, paid only via cash, credit or debit card at either terminal ticketing booth. The charge is the same as the cost for a PATH ride and is below the typical cost of a ferry ride across the Hudson River. Children five years of age and under ride free. Riders can also board with bicycles, and will be subject to the ferry's additional $1.00 charge.



The ferry is for PATH weekend riders as an alternative to service typically provided at the Exchange Place and World Trade Center stations, which will be closed most weekends throughout 2014. PATH is in the midst of a weekend outage schedule for an array of projects, including but not limited to post-Sandy desalination, track repairs, life safety/security work, lighting and communications, as well as recovering schedule time lost due to Superstorm Sandy to implement Positive Train Control safety improvements and meet a December 2015 federal compliance deadline.



PATH officials will report each weekend's ferry ridership early the following week to help the public and agency gauge use of the service throughout the pilot program. Ridership levels will be evaluated on a weekly basis, to determine whether this six week pilot program should be extended



Weekend ferry service during the pilot program will run from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and may be adjusted according to demand levels. Travel time between terminals is approximately seven minutes and ferries will depart every 15 minutes, beginning with the 8 a.m. departure from Paulus Hook. The last ferry will depart Paulus Hook at 9:45 p.m. and the World Financial Ferry Terminal at 9:53 p.m. One boat will be traveling back and forth between these two terminals.



At this time, riders cannot buy tickets online or via the NY Waterways app for Smartphones. Should the pilot program be continued, the Port Authority will explore whether the ferry company can include this service on the app. This pilot program is not a cross-honoring agreement, but rather an additional service to help alleviate disruption caused by the PATH weekend work.



Those needing to connect to PATH trains may go to the Grove Street station – which is approximately a 12-minute walk and the closest open PATH station from the Paulus Hook Terminal. The closest entrance to PATH is at the intersection of Christopher Columbus and Marin Boulevard. Please note, Grove Street does not have an elevator and is not ADA-accessible.



Newport, another nearby station, is ADA-accessible and equipped with elevators. To get to Newport, you can take the NJ Transit Light Rail from Exchange Place to Newport. NJ Transit is cross-honoring PATH passengers who show their SmartLink card or Metrocard. As an alternative, passengers can walk north on Washington Boulevard to the Newport station, which is about a 20-minute walk.



For those traveling from Manhattan to Jersey City, the World Trade Center Ferry Terminal is located at end of Vesey Street on the Hudson River, in close proximity to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2, 3, E and R subway trains and M20 and M22 buses.



For ferry alerts and advisories, please see the NY Waterway website's alerts and advisories page: http://www.nywaterway.com/AdvisoriesAlerts.aspx



PATH riders also may seek information on alternative service from the Port Authority website, PATHAlerts and Twitter.



Website: http://www.panynj.gov/PATH



Follow us on Twitter: @PATHTrain



PATH service alerts: http://www.PATHAlerts.com/usersubscribe



Toll Free Information Line: 1-800-234-PATH (7284)



Email: PATHCommunity@panynj.gov



Notices: Posted in all PATH stations and on PATHVISION



MTA Information: http://mta.info/nyct



CONTACT:

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

212-435-7777



Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency's network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.