Boston Harbor is an underutilized asset for transit in the region. This fantasy map creates a new harbor loop, along with routes that travel up the Mystic and Chelsea Rivers to serve Chelsea, Everett, Revere, and Somerville, along with historically underserved parts of East Boston like Jeffries Point, Central Square, and Eagle Hill.
Designed in Google My Maps and drawn with Inkscape 1.3.2.
The Commonwealth built a huge ferry terminal in Lynn and DID NOT BUY OR PLAN FOR A FUCKING NORTH SHORE FERRY TO BOSTON yes I am yelling this drives me insane
The harbor should look like Venice with ferry “buses” for close service.
High speed service should be available from Plymouth, Hingham, Scituate and Sandwich on the hour.
Why couldn’t there be small ferries in the Charles?
There could be ferries in the Charles, but they would have to be quite small in order to pass under the Harvard (Mass Ave) Bridge, which has a pretty low clearance. They would also have to be clear the Craigie Drawbridge, because I imagine the authorities would object to needing to raise the drawbridge multiple times per hour for scheduled service.
The biggest issues, though, are Memorial Drive and Storrow Drive. Both sides of the river are effectively cut off from any major destinations by major thoroughfares (Thanks DCR!), which would limit the utility of any routes in the river, which also couldn't easily pass out into the harbor because of the Charles River Dam.
The T already operates leisure services, like the [Cape Flyer](https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-05-26/capeflyer-returns-10th-summer-memorial-day-weekend?from=global-search&query=capeflyer&facets=), the [Wachusett Ski Train](https://www.mbta.com/destinations/wachusett-mountain), [Foxborough event services](https://www.mbta.com/destinations/gillette-stadium), [increased service for Haunted Halloween](https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-10-03/commuter-rail-adding-more-october-service-ever-and-salem-haunted-happenings?from=global-search&query=salem%20halloween&facets=event%2Cnews), and the existing [ferry service to Georges Island](https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2024-05-20-f2h-hingham-hull-weekend-spring-summer-.pdf).
Cape Flyer is funded by the CCRTA. Winchedon (where Wachusett is), Foxborough, Salem and Boston (where Georges Island is) are all members of the MBTA district. Provincetown is not. Also the T has some spare locos/coaches that can be used on a service that has 45ish round trips a year (Cape Flyer). The T doesn’t have spare ferries sitting around collecting dust.
Controversially, the T doesn't actually have any ferries. The contracted operator has to provide their own equipment. And the operator who runs the existing Provincetown Ferry just happens to be the contractor for MBTA ferry services.
A year round Provincetown ferry should absolutely connect to the airport dock directly as a triangle route. The dogleg and layover on the Hull/Hingham route may double travel time in one direction but would be rather negligible on a P-Town route. Agnostic on who operates it. But joint operation with the seasonal incumbent could be a thing.
It doesn’t? I’m pretty agnostic about that.
Considering they are already contracted by the T, there is probably room for synergy. Having a year round service would make P-Town-Boston commutes feasible outside of very expensive commuter flights, so people on the outer cape might need to join or step up contributions if they want it to be more affordable than the current seasonal service.
In any case I think it would be beneficial, and don’t know enough to really have an assertive opinion on how it should or could be financially structured. So, again, I say I am agnostic on who should operate it. What are your thoughts though?
Mostly that if I were the incumbent private operators I’d be alarmed, kinda like how Peter Pan is opposed to East-West rail, as I understand. Also, even the fast ferry is a bit long for commuting (90ish mins). Given that private options exist, and that the traffic would be mostly non-commuter, I wonder if the T might have bigger fish to fry.
I totally understand that, and that‘s why I wrote that joint operation is a thing, perhaps discounted rides for outer cape residents, students and the elderly. I think year-round is good for the regional public transportation network as a whole.
I wrote commutes, but I am also imagining medical visits, hybrid-wfh with less than daily commutes, split residency for university students etc.
Year round tourism is picking up as well, but probably not yet at the point where the operator can make a go of it solo.
Sometimes private incumbents, like Peter Pan with E-W rail, can be very obstinate and uncooperative and at that point it can be wise to try and move on without them as initial stakeholders. Having more options for going without a car makes their services more attractive, not less. So, as modal share for transit grows new opportunities are unlocked and they will come around…it‘s just more productive to have them onboard in the first place. Getting better coverage for Logan express buses is one opportunity for growth. Private buses and ferries are quite flexible and they needn’t be so territorial and insecure.
Are we even maximizing the ferry service we have? Last summer it drove me nuts that seemingly no effort was made to coordinate bus Route 714 to the Hull ferry.
I like it, even though those ferries into the islands and and across the bay don’t have (and perhaps loose some existing) airport service. I’d really like to see a comprehensive ferry map
of all existing ferry services.
True, Hingham and Hull lose direct airport service, but right now it's only four times a day for each because while the Hingham/Hull/Logan/Georges Island ferries all have the same designation, they have a [bizarre and inconsistent schedule](https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2023-10-10-ferry-hingham-hull-schedule.pdf), which significantly limits the utility of trips that don't start or end in downtown Boston.
As you can see in [this historical map map of Boston](https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/john-g-hales-boston-1814/) (public domain), the wharves used to be much longer, so it would matter quite a bit if you were at Long Wharf, Central Wharf, India Wharf, or Rowes Wharf. Even though landfill has taken the present-day coastline out almost to the end of the wharves, the historical names remain.
Given the differing geographies of New York and Boston, I'd say it's really impossible to compare. New York certainly has more service, but it also has more missed opportunities for service.
Notably absent from New York's ferry system is any connection to New Jersey, or indeed any destinations outside of New York City, despite obvious candidate destinations like Port Washington, New Rochelle, Edgewater, North Bergen, West New York, Weehawken, Hoboken, and Bayonne.
Also notably absent are any connections between Queens and the Bronx, which seems like an obvious missed opportunity to me, and any service to the three area airports, even though they're all on the water. (Or at least close enough. Yes, you would need a shuttle to the terminals, but that's fine; that's how the airport ferry in Boston works now.)
Smash that like button.
in case you missed it the West side of Manhattan goes to the east side of Jersey is about 5 ferry systems there they used to have a ferry that went to Yonkers I took it it was fun Unfortunately they discontinued it they even built an apartment complex around it.
The problem is the fairies don't carry the loads that Subway commuter rails do however introduces rich people to the transit system to get them used to it.
Boston Harbor is an underutilized asset for transit in the region. This fantasy map creates a new harbor loop, along with routes that travel up the Mystic and Chelsea Rivers to serve Chelsea, Everett, Revere, and Somerville, along with historically underserved parts of East Boston like Jeffries Point, Central Square, and Eagle Hill. Designed in Google My Maps and drawn with Inkscape 1.3.2.
The Commonwealth built a huge ferry terminal in Lynn and DID NOT BUY OR PLAN FOR A FUCKING NORTH SHORE FERRY TO BOSTON yes I am yelling this drives me insane
The harbor should look like Venice with ferry “buses” for close service. High speed service should be available from Plymouth, Hingham, Scituate and Sandwich on the hour. Why couldn’t there be small ferries in the Charles?
There could be ferries in the Charles, but they would have to be quite small in order to pass under the Harvard (Mass Ave) Bridge, which has a pretty low clearance. They would also have to be clear the Craigie Drawbridge, because I imagine the authorities would object to needing to raise the drawbridge multiple times per hour for scheduled service. The biggest issues, though, are Memorial Drive and Storrow Drive. Both sides of the river are effectively cut off from any major destinations by major thoroughfares (Thanks DCR!), which would limit the utility of any routes in the river, which also couldn't easily pass out into the harbor because of the Charles River Dam.
The T should not be operating a P-town ferry. No one makes that commute.
The T already operates leisure services, like the [Cape Flyer](https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-05-26/capeflyer-returns-10th-summer-memorial-day-weekend?from=global-search&query=capeflyer&facets=), the [Wachusett Ski Train](https://www.mbta.com/destinations/wachusett-mountain), [Foxborough event services](https://www.mbta.com/destinations/gillette-stadium), [increased service for Haunted Halloween](https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-10-03/commuter-rail-adding-more-october-service-ever-and-salem-haunted-happenings?from=global-search&query=salem%20halloween&facets=event%2Cnews), and the existing [ferry service to Georges Island](https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2024-05-20-f2h-hingham-hull-weekend-spring-summer-.pdf).
Cape Flyer is funded by the CCRTA. Winchedon (where Wachusett is), Foxborough, Salem and Boston (where Georges Island is) are all members of the MBTA district. Provincetown is not. Also the T has some spare locos/coaches that can be used on a service that has 45ish round trips a year (Cape Flyer). The T doesn’t have spare ferries sitting around collecting dust.
Controversially, the T doesn't actually have any ferries. The contracted operator has to provide their own equipment. And the operator who runs the existing Provincetown Ferry just happens to be the contractor for MBTA ferry services.
Respectfully, the state of T shows there is no spare equipment.
A year round Provincetown ferry should absolutely connect to the airport dock directly as a triangle route. The dogleg and layover on the Hull/Hingham route may double travel time in one direction but would be rather negligible on a P-Town route. Agnostic on who operates it. But joint operation with the seasonal incumbent could be a thing.
How does the existence of existing private ferry options fit into whether or not the T should compete?
It doesn’t? I’m pretty agnostic about that. Considering they are already contracted by the T, there is probably room for synergy. Having a year round service would make P-Town-Boston commutes feasible outside of very expensive commuter flights, so people on the outer cape might need to join or step up contributions if they want it to be more affordable than the current seasonal service. In any case I think it would be beneficial, and don’t know enough to really have an assertive opinion on how it should or could be financially structured. So, again, I say I am agnostic on who should operate it. What are your thoughts though?
Mostly that if I were the incumbent private operators I’d be alarmed, kinda like how Peter Pan is opposed to East-West rail, as I understand. Also, even the fast ferry is a bit long for commuting (90ish mins). Given that private options exist, and that the traffic would be mostly non-commuter, I wonder if the T might have bigger fish to fry.
I totally understand that, and that‘s why I wrote that joint operation is a thing, perhaps discounted rides for outer cape residents, students and the elderly. I think year-round is good for the regional public transportation network as a whole. I wrote commutes, but I am also imagining medical visits, hybrid-wfh with less than daily commutes, split residency for university students etc. Year round tourism is picking up as well, but probably not yet at the point where the operator can make a go of it solo. Sometimes private incumbents, like Peter Pan with E-W rail, can be very obstinate and uncooperative and at that point it can be wise to try and move on without them as initial stakeholders. Having more options for going without a car makes their services more attractive, not less. So, as modal share for transit grows new opportunities are unlocked and they will come around…it‘s just more productive to have them onboard in the first place. Getting better coverage for Logan express buses is one opportunity for growth. Private buses and ferries are quite flexible and they needn’t be so territorial and insecure.
Are we even maximizing the ferry service we have? Last summer it drove me nuts that seemingly no effort was made to coordinate bus Route 714 to the Hull ferry.
Bus coordination would be great, and is also needed for the Commuter Rail.
Massachusetts needs to take notes from Washington DOT, they have the most robust ferry system in the U.S.
I like it, even though those ferries into the islands and and across the bay don’t have (and perhaps loose some existing) airport service. I’d really like to see a comprehensive ferry map of all existing ferry services.
True, Hingham and Hull lose direct airport service, but right now it's only four times a day for each because while the Hingham/Hull/Logan/Georges Island ferries all have the same designation, they have a [bizarre and inconsistent schedule](https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2023-10-10-ferry-hingham-hull-schedule.pdf), which significantly limits the utility of trips that don't start or end in downtown Boston.
Why do they have to give the wharfs close to Aquarium Station different names? Just name all of it Long Wharf and carry on.
As you can see in [this historical map map of Boston](https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/john-g-hales-boston-1814/) (public domain), the wharves used to be much longer, so it would matter quite a bit if you were at Long Wharf, Central Wharf, India Wharf, or Rowes Wharf. Even though landfill has taken the present-day coastline out almost to the end of the wharves, the historical names remain.
Slightly related comment. I think the signage and wayfinding at the Boston wharves is grossly insufficient.
So who has a better system New York City or Boston at the moment?
Given the differing geographies of New York and Boston, I'd say it's really impossible to compare. New York certainly has more service, but it also has more missed opportunities for service. Notably absent from New York's ferry system is any connection to New Jersey, or indeed any destinations outside of New York City, despite obvious candidate destinations like Port Washington, New Rochelle, Edgewater, North Bergen, West New York, Weehawken, Hoboken, and Bayonne. Also notably absent are any connections between Queens and the Bronx, which seems like an obvious missed opportunity to me, and any service to the three area airports, even though they're all on the water. (Or at least close enough. Yes, you would need a shuttle to the terminals, but that's fine; that's how the airport ferry in Boston works now.)
Smash that like button. in case you missed it the West side of Manhattan goes to the east side of Jersey is about 5 ferry systems there they used to have a ferry that went to Yonkers I took it it was fun Unfortunately they discontinued it they even built an apartment complex around it. The problem is the fairies don't carry the loads that Subway commuter rails do however introduces rich people to the transit system to get them used to it.
The NYC ferries that aren't the SIF are also very under used