City Councilors Sal LaMattina and Bill Linehan filed an order this week for a hearing to develop a ferry network connecting the neighborhoods around Boston Harbor. Waterfront neighborhoods that would be connected include the North End, Downtown, East Boston, Seaport and Charlestown. Councilor LaMattina said,
“I think it is time that we have a serious discussion around this issue. Other cities have water transportation, including NYC which I recently visited.
I can see the Seaport in South Boston from Piers Park in East Boston yet I cannot get there.
I would like to get all of the appropriate agencies in the room so that we can come up with a plan to bring ferries to the inner harbor, once and for all.”
Currently, there is a commuter ferry connecting Long Wharf to the Charlestown Navy Yard. MassPort also operates ferry service to Logan Airport from Long Wharf. In 2014, the Cultural Connector ran service between the New England Aquarium, ICA and Children’s Museum.
The City Council approved the request for a hearing at a to-be-determined date. City and State agencies expected to contribute include the Boston Transportation Department, MBTA, BRA, MassDoT and Massport.
This is long overdue and I hope Sal LaMattina and Bill Linehan can put it together.
Right now most of the ferries only benefit commuters and tourists. It would be wonderful if we had ferries that Boston residents could use to go from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Nice idea, guys.
I park at Sargents Wharf and need to get to Northern Avenue for work. there is no transportation along the waterfront except the no. 4 bus which only runs during rush hour. I would like to attend the meeting. Please inform me of when the meeting will be held. I have lived in the North End for over 25 years.
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There was a ferry at one time from East Boston to Boston. It did not work out.
Carmela, it was no surprise to anyone that the previous ferry failed: riders were asked to walk to the firthest away place, then wait for 20 minutes and pay (more as I recall) for an uncomfortable ride between two locations better served by the existing blue line connection.
I suppose it is nessesary to add some qualifying adjectives such as ‘reasonable’ and ‘needed’…
Our mass transit system seems to be built to bring people from the neighborhoods into and out of the city, but not between the neighborhoods. Julie Wormser with the Boston Harbor Association (now Boston Harbor Now) authored a great study on water transportation which described how a robust and well planned water transportation system could be achieved.
Not only would great water transportation take pressure off existing modes (mass transit and automotive) having water infrastrucure will prove valuable in potential climate-driven flood scenarios.
Excellent!! At long Last!!…Please make announcements of future meetings widely publicized; this is something that is DEFINITELY needed. Kudos to you both!
Ann Hessenius – Co-Founder, Boston Yacht Charters
We use water taxi service (airport, dining) on occasion–more convenient, no traffic delays. Service is really great but costly. We are overdue for ferry transportation service (at a reasonable rate??).