NYC Ferry Rolls Out Route Changes With Rockaway-Soundview Extension

By Katie McFadden

Big changes are coming to the ferry. On Monday, November 10, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Ferry announced a finalized comprehensive redesign of NYC Ferry routes. The changes come after feedback was received on their proposed Ferry Optimization Plan released in July 2025. The biggest change for the Rockaway service includes extension to Throgs Neck in the Bronx, with a stop at East 34th Street, as well as significantly reduced shuttle bus service.

Rockaway’s ferry service and the Soundview service will now be combined. This means the Rockaway ferry will not only make stops at Sunset Park and Pier 11/ Wall Street, but will now continue to Stuyvesant Cove, East 34th Street, East 90th Street in Manhattan and Soundview and Throgs Neck in the Bronx, with Rockaway-bound trips initiating in Throgs Neck and making the same stops. Additionally, ferries will run every 45 minutes. The full trip from Rockaway to Throgs Neck will take two hours. A trip from Rockaway to East 34th will take one hour and 26 minutes.

However, with this comes a reduction in shuttle bus service. While current east and westbound shuttle buses operate all day, all week to meet the current ferry schedule, the new shuttle bus schedule only has shuttles running during peak hours during weekdays, with no weekend service until the summer. During the week, the shuttle buses will only operate between about 4:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and will resume just before 3 p.m. until 7:06 p.m., meaning those who rely on the shuttle bus to get home mid-day or a little later at night will have to find another means of transportation.

The changes roll out starting December 8 and full information can be found at: www.ferry.nyc

The final changes follow significant community and rider engagement on the proposed map and mark the first-ever system-wide reconfiguration of routes since the launch of NYC Ferry in 2017. The optimized routes will shorten commute times, provide riders with more places to go, and improve the overall efficiency of the system. In addition to the optimization improvements, NYCEDC is making short-term commitments to grow the system, announcing the expansion of the East 34th Street Ferry Terminal, and the construction of a second NYC Ferry homeport facility. Further, NYCEDC has identified two landings where we will begin design and engagement with community stakeholders, at East Harlem 125th Street and MADE-Bush Terminal in Sunset Park.

Over the past three years, NYC Ferry has boasted record ridership and all-time highs in farebox revenue. NYCEDC recently posted the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Transparency Report, which touts the lowest NYC Ferry per-rider-subsidy ever at $8.33, a more than 35 percent reduction in subsidy from its peak in 2020. Additionally, because of today’s Ferry Optimization Plan announcement, NYCEDC anticipates the per-rider-subsidy will fall another $1.00 by 2028, while expecting ridership to increase by an estimated 14 percent.

“From Throgs Neck to the Rockaways, our city’s ferries give New Yorkers and tourists alike a convenient, affordable way to travel across the five boroughs,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Thanks to smart investments to make our ferry system more accessible, affordable, and sustainable, we’ve already shattered ridership records this summer, and with this comprehensive redesign, we’ll embark on the next great stretch of NYC Ferry’s journey to bring this dynamic service to even more New Yorkers.”

Photo by Katie McFadden.