Astoria Ferry Service Will Begin on August 29

Leaders of local Queens organizations and elected officials, including, amongst others, NYC Councilmen Costa Constantinides and Jimmy Van Bramer, CB1 District Manager Florence Koulouris, Astoria Houses Residents Association President Claudia Coger, and OANA President Richard Khuzami, joined Mayor Bill de Blasio on the waterfront at Hallets Point at a July 26 press conference announcing the expansion of NYC Ferry Service to Astoria. The press conference also announced that the current ferry service had just carried its one millionth passenger service since launching in May—a heavier volume than was anticipated by the City.

Crains New York reports that the mayor spoke enthusiastically about adding capacity to fulfill the higher-than-expected demand: “We’re going to keep building the system. More routes are being added as we speak,” the mayor said. “This is all about creating more access around the city, giving people opportunity regardless of ZIP code, creating a transportation system that actually can work for the 21st century.” Mayor DeBlasio also spoke about his belief that the proposed Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX), a light rail that would run from Astoria to Sunset Park in Brooklyn, would be a “game changer.”

The new ferry line will launch on Tuesday August 29. Astoria residents will be able to ride from Hallets Point Peninsula to ferry stations in Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, East 34th Street and Wall Street. The trip from Astoria to Lower Manhattan will take approximately 38 minutes, according to NYC Ferry’s draft schedule.

NYC Ferry: announcement of Astoria route; photo credit Costa Constantinides via Flickr.com

Clare Doyle

Clare Doyle is a graduate of the M.A. program in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies as well as a B.A. in Archaeology and History from University Dublin, Ireland. She has worked for 30 years in library reference publishing in New York. Clare is the Vice President of Green Shores NYC, a non-profit group that advocates for a cleaner, greener and more connected waterfront in Astoria and Long Island City