The dock to the NY Waterway Ferry for the Newburg/Beacon ferry. As of July 2021, it has been closed since April 2020.

Several readers have reached out to see if the Newburg/Beacon Ferry is running. This week on Thursday 6/30/2021, ALBB confirmed with the NY Waterway, by way of the Marketing Manager Bernice Ramos, that the ferry is not running. We asked for more details as to why it is not running, and have not heard back yet. This article will be updated if a response comes in.

At the height of the pandemic, while subways in New York City were shut down and people were not commuting into work due to the shutdown, the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry suspended service on April 13, 2020, according to Mid Hudson News. The Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry was also suspended. Both were replaced with bus service.

However, bus service was also discontinued, as reported on May 25, 2020 by Mid Hudson News, citing low ridership. Dutchess County has been promoting its bus service, using it as a free resource for people getting COVID-19 tests, and are considering increasing service for those who need public transportation and don’t have cars.

A marketing message on the NY Waterway website, encouraging people to use the ferry. However, the ferry has been closed for over a year. No signage is posted down at the dock, or on the website.

No Signage or Website Message To Indicate Ferry Is Not Running

Currently, heavy construction is being done to the Newburgh/Beacon bridge, creating the usual traffic to cross over and through the toll lines. The ferry service continues to the most pleasant, and arguably most COVID-friendly way to cross the river, as it is in open air.

The only marketing message stand at the NY Waterway Ferry. The schedule for the ferry is from 2020.

There is no signage at the dock that the ferry is not running. People who wander down to the dock looking to take he ferry ask others who are waiting for the Bannerman Island Boat Tour ferry, which is running, if anyone knows anything about the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry. There is also no message on the NY Waterway website, except that there is no schedule posted. Which to be honest, is par for the course, and not a strong enough indication that the service has stopped.

Heavy Interest In Reviving The Newburgh/Beacon Ferry In 2019 With Pilot Weekend Service Initiative

Prior to the pandemic, investment was made into the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry, with great fanfare around the increased service - to run on the weekend. Since 1963, when the Newburgh/Beacon bridge was built, the weekend service was cut. The announcement of the weekend service trial was made in September 2019, with both Beacon and Newburgh working with Dutchess County and Orange County to make this happen. At that time, the weekend service wasn’t even using the NY Waterway Ferry vessel. It was using a boat from the Hudson River Maritime Museum. It is unknown at this time why the weekend service wouldn’t use the NY Waterway boat.

The NY Waterway Ferry Launched Free Service To IKEA In Brooklyn In Partnership With IKEA

As reported by NBC New York on 7/1/2021, NY Waterway partnered with IKEA in Red Hook (Brooklyn) to launch a new free weekend service to help people get to the Brooklyn store. The service had been offered before, but was halted during the pandemic.

According to the article, beginning on July 3, 2021, service “will run on weekends for the rest of the summer. Customers can board the ferry from Pier 79/Midtown Ferry Terminal, Brookfield Place/Battery Park City or at Pier 11/Wall Street. Those from New Jersey looking fto take advantage can connect from cross-Hudson ferries by transferring at any terminal in Manhattan.” The ferries run power up from 11am- 7pm. On July 4,, service will go from 9:25am to 4pm.

Social distancing will be encouraged, and masks are still required inside ferry terminals, and inside the cabins and shuttles. However, masks are not required on the open-air top decks, the NY Waterway said.

Why the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry has remained anchored at port-side (or out of the water) is unknown at this time. If you have information, please reach out to ALBB.