East 34th Street Ferry Landing

SeaStreak New Jersey docked at the East 34th Street Ferry Landing, with the Empire State Building in the background.

The East 34th Street Ferry Landing provides slips to ferries and excursion boats on the East River in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located east of the FDR Drive just north of East 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The facility, owned by the city, received Federal Highway Administration funding for improvements for docking facilities and upgrading the adjacent East River Greenway in 2008. A new terminal building is planned.

Service is provided by private operators SeaStreak and NY Waterway, which also operates a free transfer bus loop in Midtown East. There is a M34 Select Bus Service bus stop adjacent to the ferry landing; the M15 Select Bus Service and M34A Select Bus Service have stops in the immediate vicinity at the intersection of First Avenue and East 34th Street. The East 34th Street Heliport is also on the waterfront south of the ferry landing.

History

A ferry crossing between Hunter's Point and 34th Street was established circa 1858 and later came under the control of Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). In 1905, the LIRR expanded the terminal between 33rd and 34th Streets which had five slips and was able to accommodate automobiles, and is now the site of the heliport. Service was discontinued in 1925 after numerous tunnel and bridge crossings had been built. Connecting mass transit service was provided by the 34th Street Ferry elevated station which was located east of First Avenue and operated from 1880 to 1930.

In the 1990s several proposals and various attempts were made to restore service to landings in the vicinity of 34th Street, among them an Upper East Side – Wall Street commuter service, a short-lived shuttle to La Guardia Airport and a fast ferry to Staten Island Restoration of the traditional Hunters Point crossing was initiated and soon abandoned by NY Waterway

By the mid-2000s New York Water Taxi was regularly serving East 34th Street landings on the Hunters Point crossing and other routes. After a request for bids, the New York City Economic Development Corporation in 2011 awarded NY Waterway a three-year contract and a $3 million annual subsidy to operate ferry service on the East River including 34th Street.

Service

Seastreak

Seastreak Wall Street docked at the East 34th Street Ferry Landing.

SeaStreak catamarans operate daily to the Raritan Bayshore in Monmouth County, New Jersey. After calling at Pier 11/Wall Street boats continue through The Narrows to terminals at Atlantic Highlands or Highlands. In the aftermath of infrastructure damage and service disruptions to the New York City Subway system in Queens and Brooklyn caused by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012, SeaStreak began running weekday ferry service between East 34th Street and Rockaway Park, Queens, with additional stops at Pier 11 and Brooklyn Army Terminal. Although the service proved popular, it was ultimately discontinued on Oct. 31, 2014 when the city government declined to continue subsidizing it. Local transportation advocates, civic leaders and elected officials promised to continue their efforts to bring the ferry back by having the subsidy restored. Seasonal excursions includes service to Sandy Hook, Yankee Stadium, and Martha's Vineyard.

New York Water Taxi

New York Water Taxi operates seasonal service to baseball games at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium.

NY Waterway

NY Waterway's East River Ferry operate in both directions with year-round peak service running every 20 minutes. Additional Summer (April-Oct) daily off-peak service runs every 30 minutes.

Route	Transfers
East 34th Street Ferry Landing Manhattan	SeaStreak NY Waterway bus New York Water Taxi excursions
Hunters Point-Long Island City Queens	Long Island City (LIRR station)
Greenpoint India Street, Brooklyn
North Williamsburg North Sixth Street, Brooklyn
South Williamsburg Schaefer Landing, Brooklyn
Fulton Ferry Landing Fulton Street, Brooklyn	New York Water Taxi
Pier 11 at Wall Street South Street, Manhattan	New York Waterway SeaStreak New York Water Taxi New York Beach Ferry

See also

• List of ferries across the East River
• Battery Park City Ferry Terminal
• West Midtown Ferry Terminal
• Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal
• Weehawken Port Imperial
• Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn
• St. George Ferry Terminal
• Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal

External links

• Flickr: East 34th Street Ferry Landing